Khabib Nurmagomedov is enjoying the luxuries of being a retired fighter - and now weighs over 200lb.
Nurmagomedov, 33, officially retired from fighting last year having promised his mother he wouldn't compete again following the death of his father Abdulmanap. 'The Eagle' defended his lightweight title for the last time against Justin Gaethje in October 2020, laying down his gloves in the cage as a mark of his retirement. UFC boss Dana White has since tried his best to get Nurmagomedov to fight again, but the Russian has kept true to his word.
The UFC legend weighed 155lb for his fights but has since put on 50lb since becoming a coach and promoter. “I weigh 205lb now, maybe 204lb in the morning if I don’t have dessert the night before," he said at a Human Appeal charity event to raise funds for their Pakistan relief effort. "When I was an active fighter, I was around 190lb and I cut weight to 155lb. I finished my career, I gained about five kilos, but I can’t do anything with this."
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Questions were constantly asked of Nurmagomedov's weight during his career, with the Russian being taken to hospital in 2017 after a botched weight cut for his fight with Tony Ferguson. Nurmagomedov admitted that cutting down to lightweight was extremely hard and he is happy to not be dieting anymore since retiring.
“It was one of the hardest things in my life to stay away from food, even now. It was hard because for 15 years I was on a diet, maybe more," he added. "To make weight, I had to stay on a diet all my life. Being a religious person, we have to stay away from a lot of things. When food comes on the table, sometimes you want to enjoy it. I have to train every day for five hour to get back to 86 kilo, or I can live a happy life. I’m going to be happy and drink Pepsi."
Nurmagomedov still trains everyday, but nowhere near the intensity of sessions that guided him to a flawless 29-0 record. When he isn't busy managing his own promotion, Eagle FC, or coaching other fighters at American Kickboxing Academy, Nurmagomedov said he managed to get at least an hour of training in each day.
“I train maybe one hour a day, but before when I was active I was training at least four hours everyday," he added. "Two hours in the morning and two hours at night. Sometimes when I felt that wasn’t enough, when I was very hungry and before I was champion, I was training very late, like midnight. When I became UFC champion, I began to train smarter to protect my body."
