Coach Javier Mendez Reveals the ‘Last Time’ Khabib Nurmagomedov Contemplated Returning After Retirement

Ever since Khabib Nurmagomedov retired from the UFC back in 2021, many fans have hoped for a sudden comeback. Well, quite surprisingly, the Dagestani did contemplate returning to the promotion as recently revealed by his coach Javier Mendez.

Mendez, the founder and head coach at the American Kickboxing Academy recently sat down with Brain Rose for an exclusive interview, Naturally, the conversation soon turned to Khabib, and Rose asked if the undefeated lightweight ever thought about coming back to the UFC after his retirement.

To this, Mendez revealed that the last time Khabib contemplated a return was when they were all in Abu Dhabi, saying,

“The last time he had any idea of coming back was when we were in Abu Dhabi and Dana (White) still kept him in the testing pool and Khabib says, we’ll see Dana, someone shows me something, I’ll come back and no one showed him anything impressive so that was it so, then that was the end of the chapter.”

Even after Khabib’s retirement, Dana White kept him in the testing pool, while trying to convince him to return to the UFC. However, the lightweight refused to budge from his decision and instead stated he would contemplate a return if White could come up with something enticing.

Unfortunately, nothing that the UFC CEO came up with interested Khabib, and the plan did not come to fruition. However, the Dagestani kept his association with the AKA alive and currently has a team of fighters training under him.

In the meantime, Khabib’s arch-nemesis, Conor McGregor, made headlines again as he recently accused the former undefeated lightweight champion of fleeing Russia, leaving behind his mother and family amidst the government crackdown.

Rivalry doesn’t end – McGregor takes a dig at Khabib

Although Khabib brutally dominated McGregor during their heated UFC 229 confrontation in 2018, their rivalry did not cease to exist. Time and again, the Irishman has accused the Russian of fraud, and he gained even more ammunition when the Russian government cracked down on Khabib’s gym in connection with the Makhachkala shootings. On top of it, the UFC champion is knee-deep in alleged tax evasive charges.

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Recently, in light of such developments, McGregor alleged that the Russian had fled to safety, leaving his mother and his family behind in Russia. Although the post was soon deleted, it still went viral on social media, giving fans some new McGregor-Nurmagomedov drama to enjoy.