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Even for ‘$5 Billion’ Khabib Nurmagomedov Wasn’t Willing to Coach Against Conor McGregor in ‘TUF’ in 2020

Afnan Chougle
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Khabib Nurmagomedov Dispels Misconception of ‘Killing’ Conor McGregor Despite Intense Rivalry

Khabib Nurmagomedov is arguably one of the greatest MMA fighters to have ever fought inside the UFC cage. The Dagestani retired on top with an undefeated record of 29-0 back in 2020.

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In his career, Nurmagomedov fought against some of the top guys like Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje. However, none of his opponents came close to Conor McGregor. The two shared a lot of hatred and were visible on each other’s nerves at all times.

McGregor in particular left no chance to mock the Russian MMA star While Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor entered the octagon against each other in 2018, their rivalry continued for much longer.

Khabib Nurmagomedov declined a billion-dollar offer to coach TUF against Conor McGregor

As mentioned earlier, the two shared immense hatred for each other. While Khabib Nurmagomedov ended up winning their 2018 fight via submission, there was always speculation about a rematch between the two.

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Moreover, at one point there were even talks of the two coachings a season of The Ultimate Fighter. However, Khabib Nurmagomedov certainly wanted to do nothing with McGregor and immediately scrubbed off the idea.

https://twitter.com/espnmma/status/1315809117894836226?s=20&t=v7yZF8PM0_vZna6KUhRWdw

During an interview with ESPN MMA back in 2020, the Dagestani suggested that he will not coach TUF against Conor McGregor because it will give him good attention and he did not want to give the Irishman that.

Moreover, he also claimed that he will not do it even if he was offered 5 billion dollars. He said, “Even if they give me 5 billion dollars, even if they give me the UFC. I would never do this.”

‘The Eagle’ has retired from MMA completely

Following his win over Justin Gaethje in 2020, Khabib Nurmagomedov decided to hang his up gloves for good. While there were several attempts made by Dana White to bring him back for one last fight, the Dagestani had already made up his mind.

However, he didn’t walk away from the sport completely. Instead, the former UFC lightweight champion started to train and became a coach. But that journey has also seemingly ended for the Dagestani, as he retired from all things related to MMA earlier this year.

ALSO READ: After Jorge Masvidal, Ex-UFC Champion Accuses Conor McGregor of ‘Chickening Out’ From a Fight

The news came as a shock to many people. However, as per reports, the decision was made because Khabib Nurmagomedov wanted to focus on his family and businesses more. Thus, we might not see the Russian MMA legend in his friends’ corners during fights more often.

What are your thoughts on Nurmagomedov retiring completely? What are your thoughts on Nurmagomedov rejecting the offer?

About the author

Afnan Chougle

Afnan Chougle

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Afnan Chougle is a UFC author and content manager at The SportsRush. Afnan has written over 900 articles about combat sports before joining The SportsRush. He has now worked in the industry for over two years. He uses his expertise and enthusiasm to advance his professional career and offers insightful commentary on anything related to combat sports. Since UFC 229, Khabib Nurmagomedov fan Afnan has faithfully followed MMA. Besides "The Eagle," Muhammad Ali is his favorite athlete. Apart from his professional exploits as a UFC journalist, Afnan enjoys honing his skills as an amateur actor/boxer and loves going on occasional treks.

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