Ever since Khabib Nurmagomedov announced his retirement following a second round submission win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in October there has been speculation as to whether he will change his mind, and his latest Instagram post has only added fuel to the fire.
“See you soon @danawhite,” Khabib wrote on Instagram yesterday.
There’s not much to go on here, but many are already jumping to the conclusion that this is a sign that Nurmagomedov will return to the Octagon after all.
Khabib had always said that he wanted to get to 30-0 before hanging up his gloves, and he’s only one fight away from that as things stand, with the likes of Georges St-Pierre and a rematch with Conor McGregor being tantalizing options to make that dream a reality.
However, in the weeks since his retirement announcement Khabib hasn’t given any real indications that he intends to change his mind, and indeed on several occasions has appeared to double down on his decision.
“You can fight until you’re 40 but there should be a goal,” Khabib said in his native Dagestan recently.
“I had a goal to reach the summit and I got there. Further, I have no competitive interest.
“Next year I will graduate. I’d like to [build on] my thesis, do a masters course, dedicate more time to studying.
“I’ve bought sheep, I tend to my farm. I’d like to develop in this field a little. I have the bull calves out to feed, I have cows.”
That being said, Khabib did also reveal recently on Instagram that he was still being tested by USADA, while Dana White has told reporters he believes that the star will fight again and as such hasn’t stripped him of the title.
With that in mind, Khabib’s latest post suggests that after taking time out to think about it, he’s now ready to let White know definitively whether he intends to fight again or not, and while his fans may have their fingers crossed that he will make a comeback, they should also be bracing themselves for the possibility that he might not.
