“You Just Want to See Them Lose”- Kamaru Usman on Criticism Against Khabib Nurmagomedov

Khabib Nurmagomedov is one of the most dominant MMA fighters in history. The Russian fighter finished his career undefeated, and with a 29-0 record. He didn’t just go undefeated, he never looked in trouble in any of his fights.

Nurmagomedov’s father played a huge role in his life. He came to each of his fights and helped him become the fighter he was. However, he passed away before ‘The Eagle’ fought Justin Gaethje. After dominating Gaethje in the title unification bout, he retired from the sport. Many people question whether he left the sport early, which hurts his legacy.

Since his retirement, there is always talk about him making a comeback. In a recent interview, Kamaru Usman, who shares a great bond with Nurmagomedov, weighed in on this topic. He said, “I don’t know! It has to make sense for him. I don’t think he would. Because let’s be honest, Khabib is doing so well. He went 29-0, you accomplished everything.”

When suggested that it might be a strategy, Usman said, “There’s no strategy behind that. The problem is, the world is programmed this way to where someone is undefeated. They’ve ran through everybody but it’s like, no, you can’t leave until you lose. We just want to see them lose, we want to see them humanized. Like Floyd, you wanted him to see him keep fighting until someone stepped up and beat him.”

“Of course, when you go through something like that, losing your father. From what I’ve seen and what I understand about his bond with his father, he said his father’s dream was for him to become champion. His father wanted to show the world that I raised a son that was the best in the world. He did that.”

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Khabib Nurmagomedov’s legacy and career post-retirement

Khabib Nurmagomedov fought some of the biggest names in the game and some of the toughest names in the game. And always managed to come out on top. He faced the likes of Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje, and never looked in trouble. His grappling and wrestling were on an elite level, and he dominated his opponents on the ground.

However, despite having a record like his, many people question his legacy. Jon Jones on Twitter was asked to accept the fact that Khabib was the GOAT. Jones said, “I really wish he would’ve stuck around long enough to prove that but OK maybe you’re right. He’s the goat.”

One of the greatest bantamweights of all time, Dominick Cruz, in an interview with Ariel Helwani, seemed to take a dig at Nurmagomedov. He said, “Anybody who leaves undefeated in this sport, I get it, you’re undefeated. But are you undefeated? Or could you have just pushed a little harder to get that next level? And get that loss and then come back and reclaim the loss with a win and see what your next level, what your next evolution in life is.”

There will always be doubters and naysayers in someone’s career. However, Khabib Nurmagomedov doesn’t seem bothered by it. Post-retirement, he has been coaching a few fighters like Islam Makhachev and also has his own MMA promotion, Eagle Fighting Championship.

Whether he’ll ever enter the octagon again or not is something everyone will have to wait for.

Do you agree with Kamaru Usman? Should Khabib Nurmagomedov’s legacy be questioned? Let us know in the comments!

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