Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov recently opened up on his decision of retiring from the sport of MMA. UFC President Dana White officially announced this week that ‘The Eagle’ is retired and Michael Chandler and Charles Oliveira will battle it out for the vacant lightweight belt.

Fans were bamboozled when the Russian first announced his decision after his UFC 254 win over Justin Gaethje. Nurmagomedov is only 32-years-old and fans believe he still has a lot left in him. However, he reasoned his decision based on the fact that he has to take care of his family and spend some more time with his mother.

Recently in an interview, Nurmagomedov said, “it’s very hard when you have power, when you best in the world, when you famous, when you have money, and say to everything like this things No, this is very hard like people may be never gonna understand me but I really hope they’re gonna support my decision because like everybody have their views, you know.

“And my view and my relationship with mother, like I feel I have to stop because- because I feel like in every fight like in my every training camp, like everything this is take some of my age of from my mother,” added the Russian fighter.

Nurmagomedov established unprecedented dominance in the lightweight division of the UFC. Besides becoming the champion, he also captured the pound-for-pound best fighter’s status in the organization. He almost cleared out the 155lbs division, defeating all the top contenders at will.

A difficult 2020 contributed to Khabib Nurmagomedov retiring from the UFC

‘The Eagle‘ lost his father and long-standing mentor, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, in 2020. He was heartbroken and heavily disturbed at such a great loss. The Russian realized spending more time with his mother and family is currently much more important for him than competing in the UFC.

Also, he has done everything there is to be done for a professional fighter. Nurmagomedov is not someone who gets motivated by the monetary aspect of fighting. Rather, legacy is a more intriguing factor for him. So, the decision seems only fitting, considering all the facts involved.

What did you make of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s reasoning for his retirement? Let us know.

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