Conor McGregor, sporting a black eye, claims he 'won the battle' and that the war with Khabib Nurmagomedov is not yet over

AP Photo/John Locher

Conor McGregor.

• Conor McGregor says he "won the battle" even though he "lost the match" against Khabib Nurmagomedov on Saturday.
• McGregor tapped out when Nurmagomedov locked in a tight neck crank in the fourth round of their highly-anticipated UFC 229 lightweight championship fight.
• McGregor also said that "the war goes on" as he seemingly ramps up his campaign to book a rematch bout with Nurmagomedov.
• Read all of Business Insider's UFC 229 coverage here.

Conor McGregor claims he "won the battle" just two days after losing his UFC 229 lightweight fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov.

The Irish striker struggled with Nurmagomedov's takedown ability in the opening rounds, was dropped by a thudding right hand in the second round, and was eventually submitted when Nurmagomedov locked in a tight neck crank in the fourth round.

Rather than celebrate, Nurmagomedov jumped over the fence of the UFC octagon and charged at McGregor's cageside friend Dillon Danis. A number of melees, both at cageside and in the octagon ensued, broke out in wild and chaotic scenes.

It is, perhaps, because of this that McGregor has taken to social media to claim some kind of victory. On Twitter, he said: "We lost the match but won the battle."

McGregor's rivalry with Nurmagomedov was sparked when the Russian was seen on video slapping McGregor's teammate Artem Lobov in April, which led to McGregor attacking a bus full of UFC athletes and staff.

By adding the words "the war goes on," McGregor, who had a black eye in the photograph that accompanied the post, is heavily implying that this rivalry is not over.

The 30-year-old has completed just one fight in a recent six-fight deal with the UFC, and he has already expressed a desire to contest a rematch with Nurmagomedov. "Good knock," he said on Twitter yesterday. "Looking forward to the rematch."

In a separate post on Instagram he posted a photo alongside a caption that read: "I'll be back."