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Khabib Nurmagomedov faced numerous obstacles ahead of what was his last UFC fight against Justin Gaethje in UFC 254. From a broken toe to being diagnosed with the mumps, the former UFC lightweight champion had a hard road before traveling to the Fight Island in the United Arab Emirates.
In a video recently posted on his YouTube channel, "The Eagle" shows how grueling his weight loss process ahead of the bout with Gaethje was. We can see Khabib Nurmagomedov last day before the weigh-in, where the Russian fighter constantly sweats to achieve his desired weight.
"Before he broke a toe in his foot, Khabib had mumps. Coach Javier Mendez just told me that was the worst camp they had, and he was out two weeks because of the mumps. Got it in mid-September," reported Yahoo Sports Kevin Iole at the time.
Knowing about the other complications Khabib Nurmagomedov had to face when getting into shape for the fight, it is not surprising to see him so exhausted throughout the weight cut.
"We had the worst luck ever for this camp. It's incredible how bad it was," said Nurmagomedov's coach Javier Mendez. "But at the end of the day, every camp has problems, and we had our share in this one, but he was ready mentally and physically to go. Not a hundred percent physically, but he was ready; he was as ready as you can be."
In one of the most striking moments in the video, we can see a debilitated Khabib Nurmagomedov letting himself collapse to the ground and having to be assisted by his team members to get back to his feet.
"Last days of weight cut are usually difficult. It'ss always like that. No matter how prepared you are, the last day will be very difficult. We did not do evening training, [we] decided to save power," says one of Nurmagomedov's team members.
Is Khabib Nurmagomedov returning from retirement?
After defeating Justin Gaethje at UFC 254, former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov announced he would be retiring from fighting. It was a declaration that took even his coach Javier Mendez by surprise.
Since the announcement, UFC president Dana White is trying to convince Khabib Nurmagomedov to make his return to the promotion. Although the former champion reinforced he will definitely not make another fight, the meetings with White have become more frequent.
Many speculate that the meetings could be simply about business, considering the Russian wrestling-expert recently acquired a fighting promotion of his own for a reported $1 million.
"So, the truth is [that] he is not committed to anything. What he has committed to is meeting with me next month," said White about their future meeting. "He and I are going to sit down. We're going to meet next month. We're going to find out how persuasive I can be. I'll bet on me every time."
Do you think Khabib Nurmagomedov will be back in the UFC? Sound off in the comments.
