Khabib Nurmagomedov isn’t just a fighter—he’s a legend, a man whose name echoes through the annals of combat sports history. The Dagestani mauler didn’t just retire undefeated at 32; he walked away as the reigning lightweight champion, leaving a legacy so untouchable that fans and fighters alike questioned whether we’d ever see anyone like him again. The Eagle soared to heights that seemed unreachable, his dominance so absolute, he left the Octagon looking less like a man and more like an unstoppable force of nature.

But as with all great warriors, Khabib knew that no reign lasts forever. He bowed out of the sport at the peak of his powers, a decision that has haunted fight fans for years. Was there more in the tank? Could he have continued his reign of terror? Maybe. But the truth is, Khabib had seen the writing on the wall long before we did.

In a candid conversation with his brother-in-arms, Belal Muhammad, Khabib revealed what most fighters are too proud to admit—no one is invincible. In fact, he believed it was only a matter of time before even he would fall. It’s the same fate that befell Kamaru Usman and Tony Ferguson, two former kings who once seemed unbreakable, but like all legends, faced the inevitable downfall that comes in this unforgiving sport.

As Belal Muhammad recounted to Joe Rogan on the JRE MMA show, Khabib never allowed the illusion of invincibility to cloud his judgment. For all his dominance, he understood that in MMA, even the greatest aren’t immune to defeat. He walked away before the sport could claim him, choosing legacy over uncertainty. It was the move of a true champion, someone who recognized that greatness isn’t just about winning—it’s about knowing when to leave while you’re still on top. And that’s why, even four years after his retirement, Khabib remains one of the biggest stars the sport has ever known. He didn’t just retire undefeated; he retired immortal.

“Khabib said it from the beginning, right. He said ‘You’re always going to lose, there’s there’s a time for everything.’ He said it about Kamaru, he said it about Tony Ferguson. He said ‘These guys, they’re going to learn the hard way.’ And to me he said ‘If I stayed in, I’d probably end up losing sometime,'” Muhammad said.

Muhammad, who idolizes Khabib and considers him the GOAT, however, told Rogan that he didn’t think the Dagestani would have lost if he continued to fight. Muhammad revealed that he had even told Khabib, who has put on significant pounds since retiring that he could be the UFC heavyweight champion if he fought at the weight he was currently at!

“I don’t think he would lose but, yeah like he said. And I’m looking at this guy, like, bro you could be the heavyweight champion right now, it’s nuts,” Muhammad told Rogan. And the Chicago native has very good reasons for singing paeans to the Dagestani former champ since the latter not only is his favorite fighter but also helped him win a UFC title.

Belal Muhammad credits Khabib Nurmagomedov for title win

Khabib Nuramgomedov had been part of Belal Muhammad’s training camp for the latter’s UFC 304 title clash in Manchester this July. And Muhammad couldn’t have been happier. ‘Bully B’, even before the fight, credited the Dagestani with helping him prepare for his title clash against Leon Edwards.

“Training with [Khabib] and getting advice from him is worth 20, 30, 40, 50 days with anybody else. Just being able to feel his strength, feel his pressure, feel his knowledge,” he said.

The American felt that the grueling training sessions that he had with Khabib and his Dagestani cohorts had helped put him in the right state of mind to fight for the welterweight title. And the results were self-evident in his performance.

Muhammad, the underdog going into UFC 304, went on to shock the world and absolutely dominated the Englishman for almost the entire five rounds. And this predictably has only made him a bigger fan of Khabib, as was evident in him claiming the Dagestani could be the heavyweight champ of the UFC if he came back right now. What are your thoughts on Belal Muhammad’s comments about Khabib Nurmagomedov?