When Khabib Nurmagomedov says he’s done fighting he means it with every fiber of his being.
“The Eagle” surprised the mixed martial arts (MMA) world with his retirement announcement after arguably his greatest career performance, defending his Lightweight title with a second round triangle choke against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in October 2020. The win marked the 29th straight in the flawless career of Nurmagomedov, who became one of the rare few in the sport to truly go out on top in every sense of the meaning.
The departure from the sport wasn’t the easiest pill to swallow for UFC CEO, Dana White, who tried on numerous occasions to keep Nurmagomedov around. There have been several rumblings in the time since his retirement about exactly how much has been offered for a potential comeback. However, the Dagestan native recently revealed that numbers were higher than could have ever been fathomed.
“When you best fighter in the world, when you strong enough, when you have money, when you famous, it’s very hard to say no to all these things,” Nurmagomedov said on UFC Fight Pass’ Ultimate 30. “It’s very hard. It’s not easy. It’s not easy [to] just say no to 20, 30, 40 million dollar. But for myself, it’s not everything. This is not most important. It was not easy decision but if I decide, I decide. It’s finished. I leave this alone. I am happy and I never regret with my decision.”
In 2023, Nurmagomedov isn’t directly involved with MMA the way he used to be immediately after retirement. At Lightweight specifically, Nurmagomedov still hangs around and trains with UFC and Bellator champions, Islam Makhachev and Usman Nurmagomedov, his cousin.