Legend! Khabib Nurmagomedov reveals the opponent who almost pushed him to the limit; understand why.

Khabib coaches his fighters in the UFC. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram/UFC

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One of the most successful names in MMA history, Khabib Nurmagomedov continues to impress fans even after years away from the octagon. In an interview with podcaster and researcher Lex Fridman last week, The Eagle revealed that he never felt the need to push himself to his limit in any of the 29 fights he had throughout his professional career. However, he highlighted that the closest he came to doing so was in his farewell fight against Justin Gaethje in October 2020.

According to the former fighter, the terrible experience of losing his father a few months before the fight left him very shaken. Furthermore, he also entered the octagon with fractures in two toes. Despite this, the Russian successfully defended his lightweight title (up to 70,3 kg) by submitting Gaethje with a triangle choke in the second round.

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“Not in fights, you never saw my limit in fights. Firstly, it was because I had lost my father, it was difficult to recover. Everything piled up at once, my father was gone. Training without my father, without the person I was doing this for. Physically, I wasn't in the best shape, I had injury after injury after injury. But, mentally speaking, I was completely sharp,” he stated.

😌 Khabib says we 'never saw his limit' in the cage, but the closest was the Justin Gaethje fight

“In fights no, you've never seen my limit in fights.

First and foremost, it was because I had lost my father, it was hard to pull myself together. Everything piled up at once, my… pic.twitter.com/Maq0TnBA6N

— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) August 20, 2026

Khabib stopped competing due to his father's death.

Khabib celebrates his UFC victory with his father. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook/UFC

Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov was his son's main coach for many years, to the point that the goal of becoming the Ultimate champion and facilitating the rise of names like Islam Makhachev to the top of the sport was sometimes called 'The Father's Plan' by the Dagestan Clan itself. In this context, Khabib decided to hang up his gloves after his mentor's death, taking over the position before his father. Since then, he has been a very common figure in the corner of the top athletes at his academy.

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