Something we have assumed now for months has been confirmed. Khabib Nurmagomedov, arguably the greatest fighter of all time, has announced his retirement today, via text message from UFC President Dana White.
Dana White told reporters on Thursday that he and Nurmagomedov met in Las Vegas recently and that the undefeated lightweight king does not intend to fight again.
“Khabib is retired and doesn’t wanna hold up the division,” White told ESPN, via text message. “Tonight was our final meeting and he is retired.”
Khabib announced his retirement back in October of 2020, but it had been rumored he would go for one last fight to get to 30-0. Nurmagomedov had been champion since 2018 and defended the belt three times, against Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and most recently against Justin Gaethje.
It was well-publicized how close he was with his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. His passing in July of 2020 weighed heavy on the lightweight champion. His father had been with him in every camp and was even in his corner for his last fight against Poirier in Abu Dhabi in September of 2019. We could have assumed that without “Father” in his corner, that it would not be the same for Khabib.
It already appears that Dana White has booked a fight for the now vacant lightweight title: Michael Chandler x Charles Oliveira. On paper, this is a fantastic fight pitting two strong contenders against one another. But man, imagine either guy going against Khabib. I guess that is now just a dream. Along with any chance of a Tony Ferguson fight…..sigh.
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