Dana White recently claimed that an impressive performance from one of the lightweight stars at UFC 257 on Saturday night could lure Khabib Nurmagomedov back into the Octagon after having a sit-down meeting with him on Fight Island, but the champion himself seems to have a different outlook.
“I have achieved almost everything in this sport and there isn’t someone I would like to fight now,” Nurmagomedov told Sport24. “A lot of people don’t want to understand my side. I don’t see that yet. I train for myself. If we talk about all my business projects that are planned, fights are not in these plans.”
Nurmagomedov also appears to be keen to keep his promise to his mother that he wouldn’t fight again after his fight with Justin Gaethje last year, which left him with a perfect 29-0 record.
“My mother is the most precious thing I have left,” Nurmagomedov said. “You won’t push me to do things that will disappoint my mother. I don’t even have plans for UFC in the near future. I don’t even have any thoughts about preparing for a fight.
“I saw how Umar (Nurmgomedov) was preparing now and I thought, Alhamdulillah (praise be to God) I left it behind.”
Despite all this, it should be noted that the UFC still haven’t stripped Khabib of the lightweight title yet, and the fighter himself hasn’t officially confirmed his retirement either.
According to White, Nurmagomedov told him during their meeting that he didn’t want to hold the division up though, so a final decision will surely have to be made sooner rather than later.
