Who can forget UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov’s final fight in the promotion, where he successfully defended his lightweight title for the third time against former interim champion Justin Gaethje in a grueling contest, retiring with an unbeaten record of 29-0? Despite the intensity of the fight, ‘Eagle’ demonstrated sportsmanship by applying a submission technique that minimized ‘The Highlight’s’ pain.

The reason behind this sportsmanlike gesture remained unclear until Nurmagomedov recently shed light on his decision to “transition from the barn to a triangle” during an interview with a Russian MMA media outlet.

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s confession about going easy on Justin Gaethje

Since his debut in the UFC, Khabib Nurmagomedov has derailed everyone in the promotion who stood in his way of the title, putting most of his opponents to sleep either by knockout or with his dangerous rear-naked choke. This technique gained significant attention when ‘Eagle’ choked out his archrival Conor McGregor at the historic UFC 299.

During an interview with the host of the “Ushatayki” YouTube channel, Nurmagomedov was asked about his reasoning behind finishing Justin Gaethje with a triangle choke. He explained, “When I have a chance, why must I cause damage? I’d rather choose another path. You follow the court win by fighting, but this fight has to be a fight. It’s hard to stand without hitting in this sport, but there were many situations when I could have caused harm to a person. But I don’t do that.”

Nurmagomedov further disclosed that he was about to finish ‘The Highlight’ with an armbar at the end, but he reminded himself that this was going to be his last dance, and he did not want to leave his legacy in such a manner. He decided, “I made the transition from the barn to a triangle. I did it because the armbar could break his arm; that was my last fight. You know what I mean? Speaking from the barn, I switched to strangulation. I put him to sleep with a triangle, and he woke up.”

Even Khabib Nurmagomedov has his theory for finishing Justin Gaethje in a less damaging way; however, it can’t be fully trusted, as many MMA fans may not be aware that ‘The Eagle’ and ‘The Highlight’ share the same manager, Ali Abdelaziz, which could hint at why Nurmagomedov chose to submit him with a triangle choke. Recently, Gaethje jumped in to comment about Khabib’s prodigy, Islam Makhachev, who much like his guru seems almost invincible.

Why did Justin Gaethje label Islam as “not so invincible”?

As soon as Khabib Nurmagomedov retired, his place was quickly taken over by his teammate and close friend, UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. Like Nurmagomedov, Makhachev has been derailing everyone in his division to become the king. However, unlike ‘Eagle’, Makhachev hasn’t confined himself to grappling. Instead, he has taken a step further by honing his striking skills, making him a well-rounded fighter, as evidenced in his last bout against Dustin Poirier at UFC 302.

Now, years later, it has turned out to be the biggest debate in the MMA community over who is the best: Nurmagomedov or Makhachev. This sentiment was echoed by CBS Sports in an interview with Justin Gaethje, where he tried to end this discussion with his point, stating, “I don’t think I said that for sure. I think I said, ‘I hope that [Makhachev] is not [the same fighter as Nurmagomedov].’ Because that was a very tough fight for me. I think [Makhachev] is great, and I think he’s gonna be hard to beat. But he’s not invincible.”

Gaethje further highlighted the fact that Makhachev is not undefeated; in fact, he was defeated by Adriano Martins at UFC 192, claiming, “The world knows it because he’s been beat before. I think that’s the biggest difference.”

What are your thoughts on Khabib Nurmagomedov’s remark? Do you believe that was the reason why Nurmagomedov finished Justin Gaethje less painfully and he’s telling the truth, or is there something more to it? Drop your opinion below.