Khabib Nurmagomedov is done fighting for a living and that’s the bottom line cos’ ‘The Eagle’ said so! Having amassed an impeccable 29-0 record during his time in the premier MMA promotion, the UFC, ‘The Eagle’ decided to hang up his gloves after his father’s untimely death, forcing him to promise to his mother to drop his MMA career.
And now, the 36-year-old has reiterated his stance on a potential UFC return. During an event in Malaysia, the former champion in response to the host’s question about a potential return has said that there’s no chance of him coming back to the octagon.
“There is no chance. Not even one percent.”
View this post on Instagram
Courtesy of his insane work ethic and warrior mindset, the Russian has become an unwavering source of inspiration for young and coming fighters, especially from Dagestan. However, each time the UFC fandom hears about a fighter returning to the octagon, they can’t help to speculate about a similar fate for Khabib.
Unfortunately, the Russian has closed the doors on that and is now actively training his team, forging them to become tomorrow’s champions.
Also, he doesn’t need to. The Dagestanis own everything… like Jackie Chan in China, they won everything!
“We hold all the belts…” – Khabib reasons his retirement
With just three title defenses to his name, can you include Khabib in the ‘GOAT’ conversation? Well, that is a topic of debate with many fans deeming that the Russian is not a complete MMA fighter.
Compared to someone like Islam, Khabib’s strength lies in his unique pressure style of wrestling whereas Islam is more of a well-rounded MMA guy, who can stand and trade, and set up traps to catch his opponents.
However, now and then, the fandom fantasizes over a potential return by ‘The Eagle’ only for him to pour cold water. And now it seems like Khabib really has no motivation to come back because of one important factor- his teammates and students’ continued success.
In a recent interview, he said,
“They [the UFC] tried [to get me out of retirement]. They called, tried, but I have finished my career. I have brothers, students, they perform and I am focused on them and they’re the best in [the world]. There is no reason in the world for my return. We hold all the belts in all the divisions, in all organizations throughout the world. So why should I come back?”
yeah, in 3 years time, half these men would be double champions. One can also add Belal Muhammad to the list, since he’s practically one of the pack now. So, why would Khabib ever come back?
