Khabib Nurmagomedov admits 'life-changing' win over Conor McGregor was most important of UFC career

Khabib Nurmagomedov has said that the most important win of his UFC career came against Conor McGregor.

The Eagle successfully defended the Lightweight championship at UFC 254 opposite Justin Gaethje and announced his retirement following his win. However, Nurmagomedov has not vacated his belt yet, which is making the fans anticipate his potential return to the octagon.

While speaking to Match TV, the 32-year-old stated that his win over McGregor was 'life-changing'. Nurmagomedov added that getting the better of his Irish opponent helped him receive a lot of attention which he did not expect.

"We proved to the whole world that I, my team, our whole country - we can compete at the highest level. After that (fight against McGregor), life changed, received a lot of attention. Almost the whole world watched our fight. We even broke the record of the 2018 FIFA World Cup held in Russia. About 15 years ago, it was impossible to believe in it," said Nurmagomedov.

KHABIB FORCES CONOR TO TAP! 😱IT'S ALL OVER!! #UFC229 pic.twitter.com/jcjjUQJw61

— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) October 7, 2018

The Eagle dominated McGregor throughout the fight before emerging victorious in the fourth round via submission. What happened after the fight will continue to remain one of the most infamous moments in the UFC.

In the interview, Nurmagomedov also revealed the toughest fight of his career.

Will we see a rematch between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor?

Although Khabib Nurmagomedov announced his retirement after UFC 254, some have argued that The Eagle will indeed find his way back into the octagon at some point.

"This is my last fight."@TeamKhabib pays his respects following a dominant performance at #UFC254 pic.twitter.com/5HiUvJXBJC

— UFC (@ufc) October 24, 2020

Khabib Nurmagomedov has repeatedly stressed the fact that he does not plan to come out of retirement. However, his imminent meeting with UFC President Dana White at the Fight Island may change his mind if the promotion makes an offer that will tempt The Eagle to return.

Assuming that the 32-year-old decides to come back, his rematch against Conor McGregor will only seem inevitable, especially if The Notorious One beats Dustin Poirier at UFC 257.

However, if Khabib Nurmagomedov chooses to stay retired, we may not get to witness what could be the biggest rematch in the history of the UFC.

"He's still the champ!""He's going to talk to his mother."@DanaWhite feels 'pretty good' about the potential return of @TeamKhabib 👊 pic.twitter.com/jQiqpVCnkq

— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) November 1, 2020