Two Years After Retirement, Khabib Nurmagomedov Finally Reveals Conversation With Mother That Led Him to Hang Up His Gloves

Khabib Nurmagomedov missed out on being considered the GOAT of MMA for one simple reason. While the Dagestani has an undefeated 29-0 record and was so dominant that he barely lost a round in the UFC, he retired too soon.

With only three title defenses, many feel he missed out on the chance to cement his legacy with his premature retirement at the age of 32, following his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov’s death in 2020. While there were speculations of a potential comeback sometime later, that door seems firmly closed now. And ‘The Eagle’ recently revealed the real reason behind it.

Khabib Nurmagomedov sheds further light on the reasons behind retirement

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s last fight was against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in 2020, the only fight where he did not have his father in his corner. After his second-round submission victory, he broke down crying and announced that this would be his last fight, as he did not want to fight without his father. After some buzz around a possible comeback, Dana White announced in 2021 that ‘The Eagle’ had “100% officially retired”.

He would later reveal that he had promised his mother that he would not fight again after Abdulmanap’s passing. And ‘The Eagle’ shed more light on the exact details of the background to his retirement in a recent interview.

“My father passed away on July 3rd. And I think after three weeks I talked with my mom and I decided… we decided. And from that time only me and my mom knew,'” the former lightweight champion said on the Ultimate 30 All-Time Roster interview.

He revealed that he had decided to retire after a conversation with his mother three weeks after his father’s death. The Dagestani also admitted that it was a difficult decision for him, and he had to refuse tens of millions of dollars because of it. But, after he did, he did not regret it and was happy, he told the panel. Plus, he has said that he will not break the promise to his mother. And MMA fans were further heartbroken when he promised to move on from MMA altogether in early 2023. But there was a recent silver lining for his fans.

Khabib helped Islam Makhachev before UFC 294

Even after his retirement from fighting, Khabib continued to coach and corner fighters like his childhood friend Islam Makhachev. However, earlier this year, he announced he would be giving up all involvement in MMA to concentrate on his family.

Read More: After Suffering Injury That Required Medical Aid, Islam Makhachev Reveals Aftermath of Head Kick Ko Against Alexander Volkanovski

But, despite this, he made a brief appearance at Makhachev’s camp to coach him for his title defense at UFC 294. He did not, however, corner the reigning lightweight champion as he had done before, including when he won the title against Charles Oliveira at UFC 280 last year. Do you think Khabib’s retirement has hurt his legacy? Let us know in the comments section below.

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