Khabib Nurmagomedov (29-0 MMA) has stated that he isn’t keen on bringing his former AKA teammate Luke Rockhold (16-6 MMA) to Eagle FC.
Nurmagomedov last competed in the UFC in March 2021 after defending his lightweight belt for a third successive time against Justin Gaethje (23-4 MMA) at UFC 254, exiting the sport with an unscathed 29-0 record.
One of the most emotional moments in sporting history
Justin Gaethje goes over to console Khabib Nurmagomedov as he cries on the Octagon floor.
This is MMA
#UFC254 pic.twitter.com/vj9qeWiq2X
— BT Sport (@btsport) October 25, 2020
‘The Eagle’ has since begun a new venture as an MMA Promoter.
In November 2020, Khabib Nurmagomedov purchased a Russian MMA promotion named the ‘Gorilla Fighting Championship’ (GFC) for $1 million dollars. Nurmagomedov proceeded to rename the company the ‘Eagle Fighting Championship’.
Now as his own boss he now has the final say on how he wants his MMA promotion to be run and which fighters he would want to bring in.
Khabib Nurmagomedov doesn’t think Luke Rockhold needs to fight anymore
The former middleweight champion Luke Rockhold has recently announced his retirement following his ‘Fight of the night’ loss to Paulo Costa (14-2 MMA) in the co-main event at UFC 278.
Rockhold announced his decision to walk away from the UFC during his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan.
“I f**king can’t do it anymore. I gave it my all and I just didn’t… I’m f**king old.”
Khabib Nurmagomedov is known for giving new homes to UFC retirees such as: Diego Sanchez and Kevin Lee. Especially considering the pair were close teammates at American Kickboxing Academy (AKA).
However, during an interview on ‘Red Corner MMA’, when asked about the idea of signing Luke Rockhold to Eagle FC he shut down that possibility.
“I don’t think so. (Rockhold) was a Strikeforce champion. He was a UFC champion,” Khabib stated.
“He has nothing to prove here, I believe he does not have to fight anymore.”
Prior to UFC 278, Rockhold hadn’t been back inside the Octagon for three years, in addition, he hadn’t been able to pick up a victory since a TKO win against David Branch (22-7 MMA) in 2017.