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Khabib Nurmagomedov called it quits at UFC 254 following an emphatic submission victory over Justin Gaethje. By doing so, Khabib Nurmagomedov once again unified the Lightweight Championship.
Naturally, his retirement announcement took everybody by surprise, including UFC and Dana White. Speaking to the media in the post-fight press conference, Dana White stated that there was a feeling of a possible upset:
"We were all just standing around, listening. I could tell, it almost smelled like an upset tonight. The way he reacted at the weigh-ins. The way he acted when he was walking out tonight. He didn't look like himself. Breathing heavy and taking deep breaths."
Dana White revealed that Khabib Nurmagomedov had broken his foot three weeks before the fight:
"With all that this guy has been through, we're all lucky to have seen him fight tonight. I'm hearing rumors about other things that I didn't know about that you guys will be hearing about when he comes out later. Apparently, he was in the hospital - he broke his foot. 3 weeks ago. He has two broken toes and a broken bone in his foot. That's what his corner was telling me. Never told anybody, walking around. He's one of the toughest human beings on the planet. He's the #1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world and you seriously have to start putting him up in GOAT status."
The defining performance of Khabib Nurmagomedov
Khabib Nurmagomedov would never be one to make excuses, but the fact that he put on such an emphatic performance after breaking his foot speaks volumes of him as a fighter.
It's hard to disagree that Khabib Nurmagomedov is among the all-time greats. Dana White refused to reveal what the grand plan for Khabib Nurmagomedov was in the post-fight press conference.
