Former undisputed UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov (29-0), 37, walked away from the octagon at his peak. Five years ago today (October 24, 2020), “The Eagle” competed in his final UFC contest. He announced his retirement from the sport that same night, at the age of 32.
To this day, fans still wonder aloud if he will ever end his time on the sidelines and return for one more fight. We look at that possibility five years after his last bout.
The brief but dominant run of Khabib Nurmagomedov
The native of Dagestan, Russia, made his UFC debut in January 2012 with a third-round submission win against Kamal Shalorus. He stormed through the 155-pound division, winning nine consecutive fights. Including victories over former UFC lightweight champion, Rafael dos Anjos, and Edson Barboza.
In April 2018, Nurmagomedov took on Al Iaquinta for the vacant UFC lightweight title at UFC 223. The heavy favorite Nurmagomedov dominated, landing 141 total strikes. While the underdog Iaquinta landed an underwhelming 41 total. In a lopsided unanimous decision win, Nurmagomedov was crowned as the new UFC lightweight champion.
In three defenses of the UFC lightweight title, Nurmagomedov scored submission victories over former two-division UFC champion Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje. Following his win over Gaethje at UFC 254 in October 2020, Nurmagomedov revealed that it was his last fight.
His father and primary trainer, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, had passed away in July 2020 from complications due to COVID-19. It was Nurmagomedov’s first fight without his father in his corner.
Rumors of a comeback superfight
There was one “dream match” in particular that remained as a hypothetical idea among the biggest fights that never happened in the UFC. While both fighters were still active, Dana White previously entertained the idea of a superfight between Nurmagomedov and fellow UFC Hall of Famer, Georges St-Pierre.
As St-Pierre competed at 170 pounds for most of his career, where he reigned as the undisputed UFC welterweight champion, a fight contested at a catchweight seemed ideal. However, “Rush” called it a career in February 2019. In November 2017, St-Pierre defeated Michael Bisping by submission for the UFC middleweight title at UFC 217. St-Pierre vacated the title the following month, after he was diagnosed with colitis.
Even after he retired, the former two-division UFC champion left the door open to a comeback fight with Nurmagomedov. The native of Saint-Isidore, Montérégie, Quebec, Canada, had also revealed that White contacted him after Nurmagomedov’s retirement about the possibility of materializing a superfight.
Will Nurmagomedov ever return to the octagon?
Nurmagomedov was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2022. He finished his career undefeated through 29 professional fights, including a 13-0 record in the UFC.
He tied the previous record for most lightweight title defenses in UFC history (3). The record that has since been broken by Nurmagomedov’s protege, former undisputed UFC lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev, with four successful title defenses.
It is fair to say that Nurmagomedov has left the sport for good, at least as a competitor. He cited making a promise to his mother and the importance of following through with his word. Following retirement, Nurmagomedov has committed to training fighters at Eagles MMA. A stable that includes UFC competitors, Makhachev, Umar Nurmagomedov, and Tagir Ulanbekov.
Nurmagomedov has kept his word, as he reportedly turned down up to $40 million for a comeback to the UFC. He also stated recently that it could take a minimum of “six months” to prepare for a return, while making it clear that there is “no chance” he will go back to competing.
