Khabib Nurmagomedov (Sportimage)
Khabib Nurmagomedov has very often explained that he has no plans of a UFC return
Khabib Nurmagomedov hung up his gloves following a stunning second-round submission victory over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254, in October 2020.
An inconsolable Khabib announced in the post-fight interview that night that he would not be competing without his late father Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov by the ringside.
The Dagestani also revealed that he had promised his father about the Gaethje fight being his last.
Despite his announcement, a lot of rumours were afloat that he would make a comeback to the sport. However, he put an end to all of those when he confirmed his retirement in March, earlier this year, making it official.
The media would still not budge. The nagging question about his comeback still lingers across the MMA community.
In a recent interview with Betway Insider, Khabib’s coach Javier Mendez was asked if Khabib would return to the UFC.
While Mendez said Khabib would not return when he gets past his prime, he did say that the Russian might fancy a return if he could talk it out with his mother, and gets her blessings.
“I’d definitely say that when he’s past his prime, definitely not because he’s not going to compete when he’s not able to compete. But I can honestly say that if he’s still in his prime, there’s always the possibility that he and his mother could talk. I can say that…I wouldn’t bet against it, but I know there is a possible situation that I could see. If there was something that would bring him back, it’s him still being in his prime and him and his mother talking.” [via Betway Insider]
Khabib is a man of his word. As Mendez claimed, he would only return if he is granted the blessings and permission of his mother.
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