Khabib Nurmagomedov had UFC followers speaking after showing with gloves on at UFC 330. Dana White was then requested the query many individuals had in thoughts: might the unbeaten former champion ever be satisfied to battle once more?
Dana White doesn’t count on Khabib Nurmagomedov to place the gloves again on. The UFC CEO was requested in regards to the retired former light-weight champion after UFC 330, the place footage confirmed Nurmagomedov carrying UFC gloves backstage.
“I don’t assume that’s ever going to occur,” White stated on the post-fight press convention. “Hear, when he was making an attempt to retire, I used to be throughout that f*ing man. I don’t assume you’ll get him again now, plus he’s received to weigh like 225 lb or one thing! Yeah, he’s received a great life, and I don’t assume he’s trying to battle any extra.”
Dana White Provides Blunt Khabib Nurmagomedov Comeback Verdict
The query got here after one other main evening for Khabib Nurmagomedov’s longtime good friend and pupil, Islam Makhachev. Makhachev retained the UFC welterweight title with a unanimous-decision win over Ian Machado Garry within the UFC 330 essential occasion at Xfinity Cellular Enviornment in Philadelphia. The scores had been 49-46, 49-46 and 48-47.
Makhachev’s win was his seventeenth in a row within the UFC, setting a brand new promotion file for the longest successful streak. He additionally moved to 29-1 as an expert and accomplished the primary protection of the 170-pound belt he gained at UFC 322.
Nurmagomedov, 37, walked away from MMA after submitting Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in October 2020. The win unified the light-weight title and left him with a 29-0 skilled file. He had introduced beforehand that the bout can be his closing battle, following the demise of his father, coach Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.
White spent months making an attempt to alter that call. He later accepted Nurmagomedov’s retirement, however the former champion has repeatedly made it clear that his preventing profession is completed. In a 2023 interview, Nurmagomedov stated he had turned down provides value $20 million, $30 million and $40 million as a result of cash was not sufficient to drag him again into competitors.
“It’s completed. I depart this alone. I’m completely satisfied and I by no means remorse my determination. By no means,” Nurmagomedov stated.
There have been loads of comeback rumors through the years, from potential UFC fights to a reported boxing provide involving Floyd Mayweather. None have led to a return. As an alternative, Nurmagomedov has remained near the game as a coach and nook determine for Makhachev and different fighters from his workforce.
Makhachev’s run has stored the Nurmagomedov identify close to the middle of UFC title fights with out Khabib needing to take one other stroll to the Octagon. And based mostly on White’s newest reply, the gloves noticed backstage had been simply gloves.
