It was dumb but I still think it was a work, it was just sloppily executed, look at the aftermath, Dana was all "I wont work with Conor McGregor again" and like 3 or 4 months later he's lining his pockets off the fight, it's pro wrestling with real fighting at this point.
I don't think either of them are gangsters, Conor is a showman, Khabib has a military background and is surrounded by thuggish bullies, and they all seem too dumb to understand the business they are in, it's the fight game, the promos are just setting the stage, this thug is treating it ALL as real.