Esther Lin, MMA Fighting
Khabib Nurmagomedov scored consecutive win number 28 this past weekend (Sat., Sept. 7, 2019) by choking out Dustin Poirier in the third round of their title unification match at UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi.
Poirier to the fight, rumblings regarding “The Eagle’s” possible retirement surfaced, though Khabib himself was quick to say even he didn’t know when his time to walk away would come.
According to his father and trainer, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, he feels after two more wins would be the perfect time for his son (30) to call it a day.
“For Khabib, 30-0 is enough,” Abdulmanap said in an interview with Russian outlet TASS, per BJPenn.com.
Being so dominant for so long can take a toll on one’s mind and body, but Khabib seems to be primed to go on an even further run if he chooses to do so. That said, Nurmagomedov holds his father’s advice very high, so it would be interesting to see just what would happen if the elder Nurmagomedov decides it’s time to stop fighting.
One thing that is certain is that Abdulmanap wants Khabib’s final fight to take place in Moscow.
“Regarding his last fight, then, of course, we would like his final title defense to be in Moscow,” Abdulmanap added.
Indeed, that would be a perfect way for Nurmagomedov to go out, as he has yet to fight in his home country while under the UFC banner. The promotion has already staged one event in Moscow, and is gearing up for another one with UFC Fight Night 163 on Nov. 9, which will feature a Heavyweight bout between Alexander Volkov and Junior dos Santos.
One thing is certain, the promotion would have to make it a pretty top heavy card if it wants to put it on pay-per-view (PPV). That or they can just book a rematch with Conor McGregor, which is sure to do big number. We know “Notorious” is down.
As for what’s next for Khabib, he will look to go for win number 29 possibly against Tony Ferguson, who is the front-runner to get next dibs.