Despite defeating Conor McGregor and having a perfect 29-0 professional fighting record, Khabib Nurmagomedov is sometimes chastised for quitting too soon. After defending his lightweight gold against Justin Gaethje in 2020, ‘The Eagle’ hung up his gloves for good. It was his third UFC championship defense. Despite the fact that fans wanted to see more of him inside the cage, Nurmagomedov did not continue, and expectations for a rematch with McGregor were dashed.
A documentary on McGregor’s professional and personal lives, named ‘McGregor Forever’, was recently published on Netflix. McGregor’s response to Nurmagomedov’s retirement was also shown in the docuseries.
Nate Diaz, a former UFC welterweight and McGregor’s previous opponent, also chimed in on the subject.
What did Nate Diaz say about Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov?
In terms of monetary success, Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor is the biggest bout in UFC history. As a result, a rematch was always on the table. Nurmagomedov, on the other hand, seemed to have no ambitions for it.
The Irish UFC legend, as shown in ‘McGregor Forever,’ was caught aback by Nurmagomedov’s retirement. ‘The Notorious’ desired vengeance for his loss. But the Nurmagomedov vs. McGregor conflict had come to an end.
A McGregor fan page on Twitter stated that after seeing the docuseries, Nurmagomedov appears to have ‘ducked’ the rematch. The page wrote:
“After watching the new McGregor documentary I can confidently say that Khabib ducked the rematch.”
Nate Diaz’s comments under a tweet from @McGregorRousey saying “Khabib ducked the McGregor rematch“ pic.twitter.com/x8sTib6IHB
— FIGHTING LTD (@fighting_ltd) May 22, 2023
Agreeing to the same, Nate Diaz fired a shot at the Russian UFC legend. Diaz wrote:
“Yes Khabib’s a p*ssy.”
It’s worth noting that Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor had a heated rivalry in the UFC. However, in their interviews, both have shown mutual regard for one another. As a result, Diaz recently tweeted in support of McGregor.
Why did Nurmagomedov retire?
Before his final bout with Gaethje in 2020, ‘The Eagle’ lost his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. Khabib Nurmagomedov has spent his entire childhood training with his father. The Russian MMA fighter adored his father and held him in high regard.
As a result, following his death, Nurmagomedov was unable to fill the void. He once mentioned that he discussed the matter with his mother for three days before making a decision.
‘The Eagle’ revealed that he promised his mother that he would not fight without his father’s support. As a result, the former UFC lightweight champion announced his retirement early.
Nonetheless, Nurmagomedov established a fleet in the sport that will be remembered for decades. However, his decision to quit early will always be debated.
What are your thoughts on Nurmagomedov’s retirement? What do you guys think about Nate Diaz’s tweet?
