Khabib Nurmagomedov has publicly fired back at Dana White after old comments from the UFC CEO resurfaced online regarding the unbeaten lightweight legend’s retirement from mixed martial arts in 2020. And, based on his answer, ‘The Eagle’ clearly did not appreciate the narrative peddled by his former boss.
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The controversy started after a clip from an older interview involving Dana White resurfaced on social media. In the interview, the UFC head honcho stated that Nurmagomedov was showered with money by Muslim countries, implying that financial security played a major role in his decision to retire from fighting.
“We had our Muslim world champion (Nurmagomedov),” he told the Prince St. Pizza YouTube channel. “But the problem is, they took him on a tour to Muslim countries. He went to Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, and they showered him with money.
“He earned so much money that he no longer needed to fight. On top of that, his father passed away, which played a big role in his decision.”
However, Khabib Nurmagomedov has outright denied this claim. The former lightweight champion responded through his Instagram account, calling the UFC CEO’s statement an absolute lie.
🤔Khabib responds to Dana White for saying he stopped fighting because he got money from the Muslim world “im gonna say this : I swear to Allah this is an absolute lie, no one has ever given me these millions and the fact that they write that I quit sports because I earned a Show more
💰Dana White says Khabib stopped fighting because he made so much money on Muslim world tour "He hit Saudi, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, and they rained money on him. He made so much money that he didn’t have to fight anymore" via Prince St Pizza
“I’m gonna say this: I swear to Allah this is an absolute lie,” he wrote. “No one has ever given me these millions, and the fact that they write that I quit sports because I earned a lot of money is also not true. The whole world knows the real truth—I’ve said it many times, and there’s no need to repeat it.
“These are the headlines I sometimes read on the internet. I’m certainly not a fan of commenting on every rubbish on the internet, but when Dana says such things, it’s spread everywhere.”
Of course, longtime MMA fans already know the explanation Khabib has consistently given ever since retiring after defeating Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in October 2020. Following the loss of his father and coach, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, in May of the same year from Covid-19, ‘The Eagle’ promised his mother that he would never fight again without his father beside him.
Despite numerous comeback offers over the years, including grappling opportunities and superfights, Khabib Nurmagomedov has consistently maintained that his decision is final. That is why Dana White’s words obviously struck a nerve with him.
To the former lightweight champion, reducing one of the most emotional retirements in UFC history to financial comfort was not only wrong but also disrespectful. In fact, even Jake Paul knows that when it comes to MMA, money doesn’t sway ‘The Eagle.’
Jake Paul’s master plan to bring Khabib Nurmagomedov out of retirement
Jake Paul already understands that throwing money at Khabib Nurmagomedov would probably accomplish absolutely nothing. Unlike many retired fighters who are eventually tempted back with big paydays, ‘The Eagle’ has spent years showing that his priorities have truly changed since leaving the Octagon, as he is all focused on coaching the pupils he inherited from his father at their Eagles MMA gym. His gym includes students like welterweight champ Islam Makhachev, elite fighters like Umar Nurmagomedov, Usman Nurmagomedov, Tagir Ulanbekov, and Abubakar Nurmagomedov, among others.
So, if anyone wants to entice Khabib Nurmagomedov back into competition, they will most certainly have to appeal to something far bigger than a huge paycheck. Interestingly enough, Jake Paul seems to understand this situation better than Dana White.
During a conversation with Donald Trump, the former US president named Khabib as a possible dream opponent for ‘The Problem Child,’ calling the Dagestani icon “the best.” Jake Paul immediately admitted that he would be interested in the contest, whether under boxing or MMA rules, but then revealed the biggest obstacle.
“I would be down for either [boxing or MMA] I’ve always said one of the biggest fights that can happen in the world is me vs. [Conor] McGregor in MMA,” he said. “I’m down, but also me vs. Khabib in MMA would be massive. So, we need to get Khabib out of retirement.
“I don’t think it would be about the money for him. Maybe if it was for a good cause or something that we could do together, that would be interesting.”
He even floated the idea of helping build a village in Dagestan if that is what it took to make something happen.
“I’m down. I’ll build it myself,” Jake Paul said.
Whether he was entirely serious or not, the comment revealed something important: even Jake Paul understands that Khabib Nurmagomedov is one of the few global MMA superstars who cannot be simply bought back into fighting. And, after seeing ‘The Eagle’ fiercely reject Dana White’s claims about money influencing his retirement, Jake Paul’s approach suddenly makes a lot more sense.
