Years have passed since Khabib Nurmagomedov stopped mauling people for a living, but the former undefeated UFC champion is now creating the next generation of Dagestani champions for the UFC. With Islam Makhachev and Usman Nurmgomedov already holding titles and Umar on the verge of one, ‘The Eagle’ believes fans won’t miss him!
During a recent exclusive with iNews, the Russian said that the fandom wouldn’t mind him not being around and fighting that much since he’s already giving them a new generation of fighters.
“If you guys need champions I’m helping my brothers to become champions… We have Islam (Makhachev) champion, Umar (Nurmagomedov) next champion and we have Usman (Nurmagomedov) champion…You guys never gonna miss me because in our team we create champions. You guys gonna always have champion, don’t worry about this.”
Khabib Nurmagomedov says there's no chance he'll ever make a return to the octagon:
"I'm helping my brothers to become champions…
You guys never gonna miss me because in our team we create champions. You guys gonna always have champion, don't worry about this."
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) October 1, 2024
After his retirement from the sport in 2020, following his final title defense against Justin Gaethje, ‘The Eagle’ never entered the octagon and kept his promise to his mother.
So, despite the supposed $100 million offer to fight Floyd Mayweather, Khabib never really gave it another thought and kept his words instead. But he’s not completely disappeared from the sport.
After his reign, he trained his buddy Islam Makhachev became the Pound 4 Pound best and the LW champion while his cousinUsman is currently at the top of the rankings in Bellator in the LW category.
His cousin, Umar Nurmagomedov is steadily ascending the bantamweight ranks, nearing his goal to become a champion.
Islam, as a matter of fact, sits on the verge of leaving Khabib behind as the greatest lightweight champion of all time.
Khabib on Islam’s return
During a press conference in Malaysia, Khabib revealed the timeline for UFC lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev’s UFC return. The champion previously mentioned that he had sustained a hand injury from his war against Dustin Poirier at UFC 302 and might require surgery.
And now as September comes to an end, his mentor/buddy Khabib has dropped a major revelation about the comeback.
According to the ex-champ, the UFC offered a January fight to which they have obliged. Now, while Khabib was keen to unveil the timeframe, he was careful enough not to reveal Islam’s opponent.
“UFC offered us a fight in January. We accepted it. UFC will make the announcement soon, including where it will take place and who Islam’s opponent will be. I won’t say anything about it myself, but I can say that we are focused on January.”
So, Islam Makhachev vs Arman Tsarukyan it is in January then! What a banger of a way to start the new year.
