Khabib Nurmagomedov has certainly been enjoying his time in retirement.
‘The Eagle’ announced he would no longer compete after quickly submitting interim champ Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in October 2020. It was a shock announcement considering Nurmagomedov is very clearly peaking and just one fight away from stretching his perfect record to 30-0.
UFC president Dana White tried his best to persuade Nurmagomedov to continue fighting but the pound-for-pound king was dead set on walking away from the sport.
Today Nurmagomedov has plenty of stuff going on away from his fight career. The 33-year-old runs his own MMA promotion and trains a bunch of fighters. It’s safe to say he is no longer worried about making 155lbs and has been enjoying his food during retirement.
Khabib was at UFC Vegas 49 to watch his teammate, Islam Makhachev, dispatch of Bobby Green inside one round to stretch his win streak to 10.
Green, despite being dismantled on Saturday night, was in good spirits and apparently poking fun at Nurmagomedov after the fight, noting he has gained a considerable amount of weight since walking away from MMA.
“He come to me, he come too close and said, ‘Hey, you was lightweight?’ Something like this you know,” Khabib said with a laugh.
“Of course, now I’m big because I’m now like almost two years I’m finished with fights, you know. And I try to enjoy. I try to enjoy.” (Transcribed by BloodyElbow)
Khabib Nurmagomedov Calls For Islam Makhachev vs. Charles Oliveira
In another post-fight interview, Nurmagomedov said now is the time for Makhachev to get a title shot. Khabib hopes his friend will face the winner of Charles Oliveira vs. Justin Gaethje which is expected to take place at UFC 274 in May.
“Islam is on (a) different level right now,” Khabib said. “He needs someone high-level fighter, like with the same win streak. Like Charles Oliveira – they have to make this fight. If Charles beats Justin Gaethje it’s going to be an amazing fight. It’s going to be a huge fight for the UFC.”
Do you think Khabib Nurmagomedov will ever return to fighting?