Back in 2020, after losing his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, to COVID-19, former UFC lightweight king Khabib Nurmagomedov astonished everyone with his early retirement announcement after successfully defending his title for the third time against Justin Gaethje via triangle choke at UFC 254. The announcement left the entire world puzzled, as many wondered why, at just 32 years old and one win away from achieving a clean record of 30-0-0, the Dagestani sensation chose to retire.

Since then, many fight experts, including Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and Chael Sonnen, have tried to link the reasons behind Eagle’s retirement to his father’s death. Recently, former dual-division champion Henry Cejudo proposed a bizarre theory behind Eagle’s’ early retirement suggesting it was tied to his father’s rule rather than the impact of his death.

Henry Cejuso discloses Khabib Nurmagomedov’s father’s rule

Earlier, it was predicted that Khabib Nurmagomedov would step down from his professional MMA career to fulfill the role of coach at his martial arts school in Dagestan, as per the wishes of his beloved mother, who was left without a head coach due to his father’s sudden death. However, Henry Cejudo, in his recent podcast episode ‘Pound for Pound,‘ dismissed these earlier claims about Eagle’s’ retirement in front of his cousin Umar Nurmagomedov.

Cejudo disclosed what ‘Eagle’s father and ‘Young Eagle’s’ uncle, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, said to him about the right time to retire when they met in Russia a few years back, claiming, “With all my students, with all the kids, I believe that by the age of 33, you should be done with fighting.” Cejudo further asked the 29-year-old bantamweight contender Umar Nurmagomedov if he was interested in following his cousin Khabib Nurmagomedov’s footsteps, stating, “You’re 28, and I know Khabib retired at 31. Is that something you want to uphold as part of your lineage, actually retiring before 33?”

‘Young Eagle’ further politely refuted the idea of retiring at 31, claiming he wants to surpass every MMA fighter’s level, including Jon Jones, GSP, and even the show’s host, Henry Cejudo. However, this is not the first time a fight analyst has given insights into Khabib Nurmagomedov’s early retirement. Earlier, ONE Championship’s three-division champion Anatoly Malykhin also shared his perspective.

Anatoly Malykhin on Khabib Nurmagomedov’s early retirement

After the Dagestani sensation successfully retired, cementing his status in the UFC, his spot in the lightweight division was taken by his teammate and current division king, Islam Makhachev. Makhachev is thriving and successfully defended his title for the third time against former interim champion Dustin Poirier at UFC 302. This victory proves that Makhachev isn’t just following in Khabib Nurmagomedov’s footsteps but has also evolved, showcasing strong striking skills against Poirier, a striking-focused opponent, rather than relying solely on his grappling.

This sentiment of friendship and passing the torch was echoed by Anatoly Malykhin in an interview with Red Corner MMA earlier in June, where he appreciates ‘Eagle’s move to retire early and make space for Makhachev. He claimed, “You know what I like about Khabib? When Islam Makhachv started winning, he simply stepped aside. He didn’t try to steal the spotlight. Khabib understood it was Islam’s time.”

What are your thoughts on Henry Cejudo’s remark? Do you also think it could be the reason behind Khabib Nurmagomedov’s retirement, or do you believe it was something else? Drop your opinion below.