Former champion Kamaru Usman and UFC color commentator Joe Rogan assess the chances of undefeated fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov returning to the UFC.
‘The Eagle’ retired from professional fighting after defending his lightweight title one last time in 2020. Ever since then, MMA fans and pundits are speculating about his potential return.
On the recent episode of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Kamaru Usman and Joe Rogan did the same thing. The 55-year-old MMA fanatic happened to mention the upcoming lightweight title fight between Charles Oliveira and Nurmagomedov’s protégé Islam Makhachev during their talk. Rogan questioned whether ‘The Eagle’ would return if ‘Do Bronx’ defeated Makhachev.
In response, the former pound-for-pound king made it clear that Nurmagomedov might never return to the lightweight category as he has gained a lot of weight. He also mentioned that the ex-UFC fighter was probably a light heavyweight now.
“It makes it easier for Khabib to say no. First of all, I don’t think he gets down to 155 ever again. No way now. He’s big, he’s a light heavyweight. No way in hell he gets down,” Usman said.
“And he’s a solid light heavyweight. He’s holding down light heavyweights and submitting them. He’s a bear, he’s like a short stocky bear right now. Yeah, there’s no way he gets back down to 155,” Usman replied.
Reason Khabib Nurmagomedov retired from fighting
A few months before his 29th professional MMA fight, the Dagestan native lost his father, who was also his coach all his life. Despite that ‘The Eagle’ defended his UFC gold and hung up his gloves after the bout.
In the post-fight interview, Nurmagomedov mentioned he promised his mother he will never fight again without his father by his side. Therefore, he took the decision to retire with an impeccable 29-0 record.
Khabib’s father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, was an important role model in his life, who shaped him to become the warrior he is. After his death, Khabib couldn’t fill the void. Therefore, he left the octagon. However, Nurmagomedov is carrying his father’s torch now and training his teammates for their respective MMA careers.
Do you guys think Nurmagomedov will ever return to fighting?
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