Khabib Nurmagomedov has stayed true to his word since retiring from MMA as UFC lightweight champion in 2020, but that doesn’t mean there hasn’t been plenty of temptation to return.
“When you’re the best fighter in the world, when you’re strong enough, when you have money, when you’re famous, it’s very hard to say no to all these things,” Nurmagomedov told Daniel Cormier on UFC Fight Pass’ recent Ultimate 30 countdown. “It’s very hard. It’s not easy. It’s not easy [to] just say no to 20, 30, 40 million dollars. But for myself, it’s not everything. This is not most important. It was not an easy decision, but if I decide, I decide. It’s finished. I leave this alone. I am happy and I never regret my decision. Never.”
Nurmagomedov, 35, is widely considered to be one of the greatest lightweights to ever compete. A UFC Hall of Famer, “The Eagle” was victorious in all 13 of his octagon appearances from 2012-20, defeating a who’s who of top names such as Rafael dos Anjos, Conor McGregor, Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, Edson Barboza, Al Iaquinta, and more. His rivalry with McGregor led to the highest-selling pay-per-view in MMA history at UFC 229.
Nurmagomedov stunned the MMA world in 2020 when he announced his retirement in the cage immediately following his stoppage win over Gaethje at UFC 254. At the time of his decision, Nurmagomedov was the No. 1 ranked pound-for-pound fighter in MMA.
“I told you [in 2012], ‘I’m going to be champion. I’m going to have 10-0 [record] in the UFC, undefeated, 27-0,’” Nurmagomedov told Cormier. “And I don’t want to say numbers, but I told you for how much money I’m going to fight, and you [said], ‘No, this is impossible. Nobody fights in our sport for this kind of money.’ It was 2012, I told you. And after how many years? Like six years? It happened. I think this is about mental [strength].
“This is about, do you really believe in this or not? Because if somebody has a championship mentality, if you’re really a competitor inside your life, inside your heart, and you stay focused, you sacrifice all your time, success is going to come. This is just, you have to be patient and that’s it. This is what I was following all of my life, since I was a kid, I don’t even know [how young], like 2, 3, 4, when I find myself on mats. I was training all my life.”
