MMA fans were heartbroken when UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov retired from the sport in 2021. Ever since then, they have been hoping for him to make his return to the UFC octagon. However, later, Nurmagomedov retired from coaching as well. This disheartened the MMA world, which was expecting to see ‘The Eagle’ more in the sport. Nurmagomedov shocked the UFC world when he retired at the age of 34 with a whopping record of 29 victories and no losses.
Later, in 2023, the Russian fighter announced his retirement from coaching through a social media post. This was another blow for the fans who were waiting for his comeback. However, now, months later, the fans are once again thrilled to watch ‘The Eagle’ at the American Kickboxing Academy along with retired UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez.
Fans react to Khabib Nurmagomedov’s return to AKA
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Recently, the American Kickboxing Academy took to their Instagram handle to post a picture of Khabib Nurmagomedov sitting along with UFC legends Caine Velasquez, Javier Mendez, and Ali Abdelaziz. After posting the picture, they wrote, “#1 Team in the World.” Fans were excited to watch ‘The Eagle’ back in AKA.
View this post on Instagram
Check out how they reacted when Khabib Nurmagomedov was back at the AKA.
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, commented under the post with some ‘fire’ and ‘love’ emojis.
One of the fans felt that Nurmagomedov was finally coming back to the sport.
“Khabib is back”
Another fan pulled the leg of Nurmagomedov’s MMA manager.
“Ali always making his way into the picture”
One of the fans was terribly missing the Russian fighter.
“We want more videos coach of khabib WE MISS HIM”
One fan called the team by another name.
“Home of legends”
Another Instagram user was curious to know where Daniel Cormier was.
“Where is the big man DC?”
Another fan loved the photo.
“Oh needed this photo”
One of the fans felt that Nurmagomedov was back as a “coach.”
“Coach Khabib is back”
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Why did ‘The Eagle’ retire from MMA?
Nurmagomedov’s last UFC bout was against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254. After one minute and thirty-four seconds into the second round, Nurmagomedov was able to trap Gaethje with a triangle choke. The referee didn’t notice this and finally stopped the bout, and by the time ‘The Highlight’ was half unconscious, after the glorious victory, the Russian gave a huge shock to the excited fans; he left the gloves in the octagon and later announced his retirement.
READ MORE: Khabib Nurmagomedov Finally Meets His Childhood Hero
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He didn’t want to continue the sport without the guidance of his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, who passed away due to complications caused by COVID-19. Later, he decided to quit coaching to find more time for his family. However, fans can still hope that Nurmagomedov might come back to the world’s biggest MMA promotion.
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