Khabib Nurmagomedov leaving MMA coaching was clickbait, believes former UFC fighter

Khabib Nurmagomedov made waves in the mixed martial arts world when he reuploaded a post on Instagram that seemingly alluded to him stepping away from MMA entirely.

Nurmagomedov retired from the UFC in October 2020 after beating Justin Gaethje to mark his 29th professional win. He has since actively been a part of his brothers and teammates' careers, guiding, training, and cornering them with much success.

Former UFC middleweight fighter Chael Sonnen weighed in on the situation in a video uploaded to his YouTube channel. He said:

"And I don't think that Khabib is done. I don't. I think there's a misinterpretation here. I think there was clickbait going on. If Khabib were to step aside, if he were to step aside from coaching or to leave the gym, there's a lot of work at the AKA with Javier Mendez, Daniel Cormier by example. Khabib was to return home to Dagestan and just stay in that region, with his family, spend a little bit more time there. The reason this would be such big news is, if that is in fact what Khabib said, that's not my interpretation, not yet at least. But if it's what he said, it's what he'll do. We don't have anybody in this sport, few men alive, that if they say something, they follow through, more than Khabib."

Check out his full comments on YouTube:

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All signs point towards Khabib Nurmagomedov leaving the sport of MMA

Khabib Nurmagomedov's end-of-the-year Instagram post included a very telling caption and a picture indicative of a farewell. 'The Eagle' posted a picture with the entirety of his team, associates, and family and alluded to the decision:

"Concluding the year. The year certainly turned out to be a very busy and successful. Take care of yourself brothers 🤝 I hope my decision is only for the best, a big hug to you all Thank you, you were a big reason for my success in sports." [translation via Instagram]

Check out the post below:

Nurmagomedov's close teammate Shamil Zavurov also referenced the former lightweight champion's step back from the sport in his latest Instagram post.

In a post with him and Khabib Nurmagomedov seated on the gym floor after an intense training session, he wrote:

"He left the sport, but the sport will not leave him anywhere. 😊 Well plowed for the night"

Check out the post below: