Khabib targeting retirement in two years: ‘I don’t want to fight all my life’
Not keen to stick around for long, Khabib Nurmagomedov could be retiring from MMA in two years.
UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov isn’t looking to stick around in MMA for too much longer, stating he has around two or three years left before he plans to retire from the sport.
The words from Khabib, 31, come shortly after his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, said the undefeated lightweight could retire after his next two fights in the Octagon. Khabib has only fought once in 2019, defending his title aginst Dustin Poirier last month at UFC 242. He said he wants to return in March or April of next year to fight Tony Ferguson.
“I think a couple years. Two or three years, maximum three,” Nurmagomedov told Arab News about his future. “I think maybe two years is my opinion. (Transcription via BJ Penn.com)
“Because I don’t want to fight all my life, because I know it’s very hard, and I know a lot of new hungry guys are coming, and I know to always be undefeated, undisputed, this is not almost impossible, I think it’s impossible. Because you can watch in history, like soccer, boxing, MMA, everywhere, one day you’re going to lose. You have to know when you need to stop. I think maybe two years.”
Nurmagomedov said although he never used to focus on it, he is targeting a perfect 30-0 record, and he only plans to have a few more fights after that and then retire.
“I am focusing on this, before I never thought about this, but right now I’m thinking I’m almost there,” Nurmagomedov said. “28-0 and in the next couple years I’m going to compete because I just became 31 years old, that is not too much for this sport, but for sure I think I’m going to finish, 33 or 34 fights it’s gonna be done.”