CONOR McGregor just showed up very late for the final press conference for what’s being billed as ‘the fight of the century’, but Khabib Nurmagomedov had already left.

What ensued was the usual back-and-forth between the two fighters, but to a raucous crowd, instead of to each other. Nurmagomedov called his opponent an “alcoholic,” before McGregor referred to the Russian as a “mad backwards ****.”

Nurmagomedov, the undefeated UFC Lightweight Champion, didn’t have the desire to wait for his UFC 229 opponent, so he landed some soft blows before leaving The Park Theater at Park MGM.

“I don’t think about him,” Nurmagomedov said of McGregor’s late showing. “I have schedule. I have to make weight. I have to worry about myself.

“Why I have to think about him? He come or not. If someone delayed, it’s not my problem.”

We’re just a few days away from McGregor and Nurmagomedov going head-to-head in their lightweight title contest, but one of their last chances to face off didn’t go as planned.

It’s a shame, considering the genuine bad blood between the pair, and Nurmagomedov made that clear.

“No way. No way,” he said, when asked if he’d shake McGregor’s hand after the fight.

“For me, this is more than (just) defend(ing) my title. For me, it’s more than fight for the title. For me, it’s personal. Of course, this is the biggest fight in UFC history.”

Nurmagomedov left the press conference after approximately 10 minutes, putting a damper on what could’ve been an explosive meeting. McGregor blamed his tardiness on the Las Vegas traffic, and, as soon as he sat down, he was off to the races.

“He should have just stayed put,” McGregor said. “He doesn’t want to be around me. He doesn’t want to be around these fans. It is what it is. I’ve given you enough face-offs and stuff down the years. Let’s hope he pulls weight. Get that man into the sauna and cook him like the little chicken-jaw rat that he is.”

The Irishman continued, when asked about Nurmagomedov saying disrespectful things about his family: “It’s all good to me. Khabib was saying stuff but I don’t care. He didn’t have the balls to stay here a couple of minutes late. And he will look for an exit in the fight, too.

“I’m here for the fans. For the atmosphere. But you know the one thing better than money? More money. I’m only 30 so I’m a young fighter compared to the rest in the game. I’m here for a good while yet.”

McGregor brought up his late arrival to Vegas, saying he’s become accustomed to the temperature in Sin City over his career, so he was able to spend more time training in Dublin, before lobbying for a UFC card in his home country.

McGregor and Nurmagomedov will face each other in the main event of UFC 229, on Sunday (AEDT), with the rhetoric between the pair going from person, to political, to everything else.

“No. I am starving,” McGregor said. “I am going to eat his head. I’m 24-7 on this game and that is it.”