UFC boss Dana White failed to coax Khabib Nurmagomedov out of retirement after offering him a grappling match.
Nurmagomedov, 33, officially retired from fighting last year when he vacated his UFC lightweight title after holding the belt for over three years. 'The Eagle' defended the title against top contenders Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier before promising his mother he would retire after beating Justin Gaethje following the death of his father Abdulmanap.
White has tried to convince Nurmagomedov to come out of retirement in several ways, such as offering him a rematch with bitter rival McGregor and also a coaching role on The Ultimate Fighter against Tony Ferguson. His latest effort came by offering the Russian a grappling match, but Nurmagomedov turned it down.
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“Khabib’s retired. I just reached out to him recently to see if he’s interested in something and he’s like, ‘I’m retired, brother. I’m done.’ I don’t think Khabib ever comes back," White told the Jim Rome Show. "It was something different. I was trying to get him to do a grappling match. He’s like, ‘I’m done, I’m retired.’ I think that when his father passed away, that was a wrap for him. He’s just focused on training other guys and helping them become world champions."
Since retiring from fighting, Nurmagomedov has been coaching several fighters at the American Kickboxing Academy such as top Islam Makhachev, who at UFC 280 fights for the belt Nurmagomedov held for several years. The Russian has also purchased and rebranded his own MMA promotion, Eagle Fighting Championships, signing former UFC stars such as Kevin Lee and Junior Dos Santos.
Nurmagomedov ended his career with a flawless record of 29-0. Many fans consider him the greatest MMA fighter of all time, but some also struggle to give him that title due to his decision to retire in the peak of his career. White recently explained why he would give Jon Jones the 'goat' title over Nurmagomedov.
"It's so hard," White told GQ. "Obviously, he is talented enough [to be the greatest]. Who knows what he could accomplish, but he retired too early. I mean Jon Jones is probably going to fight at heavyweight this year. Whatever you think about Jon, it's hard not to call him the GOAT. Believe me when I tell you, I have tried to convince Khabib to come out of retirement. We will see what happens over the next couple of years. I feel like he left in his prime, look at what he did to Justin Gaethje right before he retired."
