UFC
Did Khabib Nurmagomedov close the door on his UFC return?
The former champion retired with an unmatched 29-0 record, and the Dagestani native has rejected a hypothesis on his return to the octagon in search of a 30th victory.
Almost 4 years ago, astoundingly, Khabib Nurmagomedov left his gloves in that octagon in Abu Dhabi to never put them on again. At that time, ‘The Eagle’ had just come out victorious from his third title defense after applying a leg triangle that sent Justin Gaethje to sleep, proving that he was still the clear dominator of his division.
A promise to his mother, who had just been widowed following the tragic death of Abdulmanap, Khabib’s father and mentor, was greater than the desire to continue reigning at the top of the world of MMA. Khabib’s last wish was to end his professional career at the top of the pound-for-pound rankings. Once his late father’s dream was achieved, Khabib came full circle and decided never to return.
Despite being tempted on several occasions by the UFC through succulent offers, the Dagestani champion has never given a single hint of questioning his retirement, something he recently backed up with his own words in iNews, an Arab media outlet: “There is no chance of returning, not even 1%. I am helping my brothers become champions. They will not miss me because we will always create champions.”
A hotbed of talent
Abdulmanap’s school is one of the most legendary and strict in the world. There are codes for everything, from haircuts to civic conduct and respect outside the gym.
That discipline and those values have led to success for many of Khabib’s teammates, who have taken his father’s place as mentors to future champions.
“We have Islam (Makhachev) champion, Umar (Nurmagomedov) next champion, and we have Usman (Nurmagomedov) champion…You guys will never miss me because we create champions in our team. You guys gonna always have champion, don’t worry about this.” Khabib said to close the topic of his impossible return and clarify that his job now is to help other fighters follow the path that once led him to the top.