Khabib Nurmagomedov will go down in history as one of the greatest fighters to ever do it. Destiny almost saw him reach 30-0 as a professional, and many speculated what that final bout could have been.
For “The Eagle,” there was always a desire to take on a fellow all-time great in Canada’s Georges St-Pierre who held Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) crowns in both the Welterweight and Middleweight classes. This would have been quite an ideal sendoff for both men but simply never came to fruition.
Well, why not a grappling match at the very least? Their respective Sambo and wrestling-based styles were unmatched during their runs. But alas, the time has just passed for the current Eagle Fighting Championship (Eagle FC) head.
“I don’t see the point in it,” Nurmagomedov said during an Instagram live stream (h/t Igor Lazarin/Bruno Massami). You can, of course, add fuel to the fire. Say something… but I don’t want to. I don’t want to promote this topic. ‘Oh, I could return to Eagle FC,’ I don’t want to make it. I want to make PR for league in another format. I don’t think that I’ll return — wrestle with someone. Let others wrestle, who need it. Do I need it? In this life, we are not allowed to do everything we want. Your desire may not coincide with what you will do. You can just want it and that’s it. Does it make sense now to talk about my hunger? I do not see the point.”
Nurmagomedov’s 29th and final victory came in Oct. 2020 when taking on interim UFC Lightweight champion Justin Gaethje. Needing just two rounds, Nurmagomedov found the triangle choke submission to put “The Highlight” to sleep. He’s stuck to his guns about remaining retired ever since.
St-Pierre, on the other hand, last fought when capturing the aforementioned 185-pound Middleweight title when defeating Michael Bisping at UFC 217 in Nov. 2017. It was St-Pierre’s return to action after a four-year hiatus.