Khabib Nurmagomedov retired as a coach (Photo: Instagram/khabibnurmagomedov)
If the fans of Khabib Nurmagomedov were expecting a possible return of the former lightweight champion (up to 70,3 kg) to the octagon, that chance has just been thrown out the window. In an interview with the television channel 'inews', from the Middle East, the former Russian fighter denied any possibility of returning to compete in MMA.
In the interview, the reporter asked: “When are you returning to the octagon? Is there a chance? A small chance of that happening?” Khabib didn’t wait long and said: “No chance” and then justified his decision.
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“No chance. Not even 0,1 percent. Less than that. If you want champions, I can help my friends become champions. We have a champion, Islam (Makhachev). We have Umar (Nurmagomedov) as the next contender. We have Usman (Nurmagomedov) as the champion. We have a lot of champions. You will never miss me because in our team, in our gym, we create champions. You will always have champions, don’t worry about that,” he said.
According to the former champion, after months of speculation, Islam Makhachev will defend his belt lightweight (up to 70,3 kg) early next year.
“The UFC has already offered us a fight in January. We accepted. I won’t make any announcements personally, but I can say that we are focused on January,” Nurmagomedov said in an interview with Russian channel Ushatayka on YouTube.
About Khabib Nurmagomedov
Khabib left the octagon in 2020 holding the longest unbeaten streak in MMA, with 29 wins and no losses, to end his career undefeated. He is considered by Dana White to be the greatest grappler in the lightweight category (up to 70,3 kg), in addition to being the first Russian and Sunni Muslim to win a UFC title.
In 2018, his fight with the Irishman Conor McGregor UFC 229 generated 2,4 million pay-per-view packages, the largest sales ever recorded for an MMA event. The fight ended with the Russian winning by submission in the fourth round.
UFC 254: the end
Abdulmanap and Khabib Nurmagomedov in victory for the UFC. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @ufc
In 2020, with 28 fights and no defeats, Khabib would face the opponent who, on paper, would be the most dangerous on his record: Justin gaethje. In the fight, however, the Russian once again made it look easy. Confident, dominant and relentless, Nurmagomedov needed two rounds to finish his opponent with a submission and further cement his name in the history of the sport.
After the confrontation, the unexpected. Still in the octagon, during the interview, Khabib removed his gloves, a common attitude for those who want to announce their retirement, and the final word: 'it was my last'.
At the time, at 32 years old, Khabib said there was no point in continuing in the sport without his father (who died that year after contracting COVID-19) by his side and revealed that he had made a promise to his mother that the fight against Gaethje would, in fact, be his last. It was the final straw in the career of one of the most impressive athletes MMA has ever seen.
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