“It’s Difficult to Leave” – Khabib Nurmagomedov Makes a Shocking Confession

Khabib Nurmagomedov retired at the top of the sport but the UFC is yet to remove him from their rankings. Furthermore, he is still the lightweight champion in the promotion.

The UFC President Dana White has admitted that although ‘The Eagle’ has declared his retirement, he would like to give the Dagestani champion sometime to deal with the extreme emotions of the fight.

Nurmagomedov went into his title defense against Justin Gaethje when dealing with the loss of his father. While most parental bonds are strong, the bond between ‘The Eagle’ and his father stretched out into the sport as well.

His father was his main coach, mentor, and friend. Their closeness left many wondering how Nurmagomedov would fare during the fight. The fighter, however, is a professional before everything else and excelled under the bright lights on Fight Island.

‘The Eagle’ put on a dominant performance and submitted Gaethje in the second round. After finishing the American fighter, Khabib would let out all his emotions in the center of the Octagon to the respect of many fans around the world.

Khabib Nurmagomedov can’t change people’s minds

‘The Eagle’ sat down with the heads of Dagestan and elaborated on his final fight. He said, “This fight was like no other, the emotions in this fight were completely different. Everything was completely different without my father.”  

“I was offered the fight right after everything happened. I had the decision to accept it or turn it down, nobody knew about this, or retire. Or I could come back, fight, and then retire.”

Nurmagomedov continued, “Now I tell the people close to me, that aren’t happy with me retiring, that even if I fought 10 more times, I’d still have to face that decision. This decision would come up when I’m 32, 34, 35.”

“It’s a hard decision because I’ve been fighting all my life, I’ve been on the mats for as long as I remember. It’s difficult to leave and do something else, people can’t understand it but what can you do?”

Nurmagomedov seems to be at peace with his decision. However, the UFC and the fans would love to see the Dagestani superstar return to end his career at 30-0.

Only time will tell if Nurmagomedov does reconsider his decision and returns to the Octagon.

Also Read: Dallas Mavericks Big Man Kristaps Porzingis Wants UFC’s Khabib Nurmagomedov To Rematch Conor McGregor