Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov clapped back at UFC president Dana White’s recent comments on his retirement.
Nurmagomedov retired following his victory over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in October 2020. The reason he gave at the time was that, after his father, Abdulmanap, died following complications due to COVID-19, Nurmagomedov promised his mother that he would not continue fighting. He remained true to his word when he decided to retire after the Gaethje fight, vacating the UFC lightweight title in the process.
Nurmagomedov retired with a perfect 29-0 record in MMA, and he was just 32 years old at the time he stepped away, which is young for an MMA fighter to walk away from the sport. However, he had his reasons, and you have to respect them.
White, however, believes Nurmagomedov retired for different reasons.
Khabib Nurmagomedov Fires Back at Dana White
Recently, White said Nurmagomedov retired because he made so much money that he didn’t need to fight anymore.
“He hit Saudi, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, and they rained money on him. He made so much money that he didn’t have to fight anymore,” White said in a recent interview with Prince St. Pizza.
“He hit Saudi, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, and they rained money on him. He made so much money that he didn’t have to fight anymore”
via Prince St Pizza
However, Nurmagomedov is denying that his retirement was financially related in any way, and he shot back at White in a recent Instagram story.
”Sometimes I read these headlines, and I am not a fan of giving my commentaries to every nonsense on the internet, but when Dana talks, the news spread fast. I’ll say this: I swear by Allah this is an absolute lie. Nobody ever gave me those millions, and it’s also not true that I left the sport because I made a lot of money. The whole world already knows the real truth — I’ve spoken about it many times and there’s no need to repeat it,” Nurmagomedov said.
We do know that White wanted Nurmagomedov to continue fighting, as the UFC president felt like his lightweight champion walked away during his prime years when he still had plenty left in the tank. But unlike a lot of MMA fighters, it’s clear that money isn’t Nurmagomedov’s main motivation to compete, and he made a decision that was true to himself and his family when he walked away.
Will Khabib Nurmagomedov Ever Fight Again?
Now 37, it is fair to say the door is all but shut on Nurmagomedov ever competing again. After all, he is a highly successful MMA coach nowadays, as he’s always in the corner of his dear friend, UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev.
With MVP MMA holding big events, however, it does make you wonder if there was something that could be done to convince Nurmagomedov to fight again. After all, no one expected Ronda Rousey or Gina Carano to fight again, but MVP MMA was able to lure both of them out of retirement.
But as he reiterated, Nurmagomedov has his reasons for stepping away, and based on them not being financial ones, it feels like the ship has sailed on him ever coming back to try for win No. 30 in MMA.
Khabib Nurmagomedov Claps Back at Dana White on Retirement