It’s an explosive rivalry that’s arguably become larger than the UFC landscape itself, but now the war between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor is set to go mobile, as both fighters release their own fitness apps onto the marketplace.
Although both Nurmagomedov and McGregor had their fair share of clashes - largely outside of the octagon rather than in - both combatants appear to have shared the same thought processes in releasing an app at a highly opportune moment.
As the COVID-19 pandemic caused disruption around the world that led to more individuals being forced to stay home and live more isolated lives, downloads for health and fitness apps accelerated at a rapid rate - growing by 46% globally.
With the fitness app market expected to expand throughout the decade, both McGregor’s McGregor FAST and Nurmagomedov’s OctaZone exercise platforms are set to enter the fray at a time of great potential for tech that’s focused on self-improvement.
No love lost between warring rivals
Despite Khabib’s rivalry with Conor McGregor reaching fever pitch around the time of their seismic UFC 229 title bout in 2018, there have been numerous scuffles and digs between the two parties and their entourages that have extended to this day.
With fans still eager for a rematch to take place despite Nurmagomedov’s retirement from the sport competitively, many are left to analyse the words exchanged between the two on a regular basis to see whether the animosity could ever lead to both Nurmagomedov and McGregor stepping into the octagon again to settle their differences.
In February 2021, the rivalry was reportedly fuelled further by Nurmagomedov writing off McGregor’s chances of recapturing his form. When asked whether the Irishman could contend for a title in UFC again, his old Russian adversary replied “never.”
“There is no way that a man can be at the peak for two times. What I mean is, a man can’t have two primes,” Khabib explained.
“A team could do it. For example, Real Madrid did this a few times in a row. Teams may have this, but we’re talking about us and one man, on his own, cannot have this.”
Despite Khabib’s retirement making any form of rematch with McGregor unlikely in the foreseeable future, a potentially lucrative battle is emerging between the two fighters yet again in a more digital space.
With Conor McGregor’s FAST workout program being developed into an app and Khabib’s OctaZone platform both arriving on app stores of late, an increasingly health-conscious audience once again gets to pick sides and prepare for a sales battle. But how do the contenders measure up? And will one leave the other in their dust when it comes to sales?
McGregor FAST
FAST promises to allow users to tap into Conor McGregor’s trusted fitness program to get into great shape. The platform offers the chance to use curated, purpose-driven regimes that can be selected based on the user’s individual goals, or users can simply choose from a range of continually refreshed range of workouts that are designed to optimise their endurance, strength, and power.
The app’s strength comes from users enjoying varied multi-week training programs that target a wide range of individual goals. The range of workouts is regularly updated to keep things fresh plus a healthy range of nutritional advice available for users.
McGregor FAST currently enjoys a strong rating of 4.8 stars on the iOS App Store, and according to Google Play data, has been installed on over 50,000 devices at the time of writing. While this figure may seem relatively low, with subscription prices of $14.99 per month and $99 per year, FAST is aiming to be a more eclectic app for users who are serious about using mixed martial arts training methods to get in shape.
Khabib's OctaZone
Khabib’s OctaZone app has recently hit the iOS marketplace and is currently in development to release a Google Play app.
Because weight loss can be central to Khabib’s preparation during his UFC career, the fighter has poured his expertise into OctaZone.
Much like FAST, OctaZone currently enjoys a high rating of 4.7 stars on the App Store. At a cost of $9.99 per month, or $59.99 per year, the app is reasonably priced. Dedicated users can also access a lifetime subscription that is inaccessible within the app itself, but can be purchased via their iPhone’s subscription settings.
Khabib works closely with the app, and the UFC icon personally guides users through exercises himself - sharing his experience, passion and industry know-how for more effective weight loss and workouts.
Who will win the digital war?
Khabib may have taken the title in the octagon, but his OctaZone app will have some ground to make up to match the accessibility of McGregor’s FAST fitness platform, which is more widely accessible at the moment and has the benefit of greater longevity having been released at an earlier date.
However, Khabib’s OctaZone app’s personalisation approach to the workouts encapsulates a level of innovation and adaptability that FAST does not have.
With both Nurmagomedov and McGregor possessing passionate fan bases alike, the battle for marketplace supremacy may be the latest classic to unfold in a long repertoire of clashes between two huge sporting personalities.
