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Whether Khabib Nurmagomedov will return to the Octagon or not remains one of the biggest mysteries of MMA. 'The Eagle' still holds the UFC Lightweight title despite retiring in October 2020.
Khabib Nurmagomedov defended his title against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254. In his third successful title defence, Khabib Nurmagomedov executed a brilliant triangle choke to win the bout via technical submission in round 2.
However, instead of celebrating, the fighter broke down. The unfortunate demise of his father and lifetime coach Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov in July 2020 took a heavy toll on Khabib. After his win over Justin Gaethje, Khabib Nurmagomedov announced his retirement from professional MMA.
Nevertheless, questions about the permanence of his retirement have been circulating ever since the Russian athlete hung up his gloves. The return of his long-time rival Conor McGregor provided a huge boost to the speculations regarding Khabib Nurmagomedov's return.
Furthermore, Khabib Nurmagomedov's dream of achieving a 30-0 MMA record may be one just fight away, as his current record stands at 29-0.
The question still remains, though: WIll Khabib Nurmagomedov return? As far as the fighter himself is concerned, the answer is no.
He has stated on countless occasions that he has no plans of returning to the Octagon. Khabib Nurmagomedov feels there is no competition left for him at the UFC. In an interview with Magomed Ismailov, he said:
"Give me any UFC name. Well, Charles Oliveira, no doubt - he is good but does not excite me. Michael Chandler - came to the UFC, won... ok, good. But we have seen him being finished so many times. It does not excite me. Rafael dos Anjos, Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, Conor McGregor - they are all former champions, and I have beat them all. Nothing excites me."
What has Khabib Nurmagomedov been up to after his retirement?
Outside the MMA world, Khabib Nurmagomedov has finally shifted focus from MMA to other things that intrigue him.
The Dagestani fighter began spending his time pursuing his dream of becoming a professional footballer. He even tweeted that he was open to play for any club, enlisting himself as a free agent. Interestingly, the tweet came just a day after Conor McGregor lost to Dustin Poirier at UFC 257.
He even spoke to Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo and various other football personalities about his dream of becoming a professional footballer.
The 32-year-old has even started his own business project with the 'Octazone' fitness app. The app features workouts and health routines 'by Khabib Nurmagomedo'.
The fitness app is an addition to Khabib's many business ventures like 'Fitroo by Khabib' and the Eagle Fighting Championship.
Thus, it is quite evident that Khabib Nurmagomedov has not been missing the Octagon much since his retirement.
Did Khabib Nurmagomedov ever hint a return to MMA?
Even though Khabib Nurmagomedov remained adamant about his retirement since October, a ray of hope did emerge at the beginning of 2021. UFC President Dana White was extremely excited about the possibility of a rematch between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Therefore, he made the case about Khabib's return a top priority. He met with the Dagestani a number of times. On the UFC 256 PPV, Dana White announced that Khabib Nurmagomedov had accepted to consider a comeback, provided the performance of the Lightweights at UFC 257 excites him enough.
The results of UFC 257 turned out to be a damp squib for Khabib's return, though. 'El Diamante' handed 'The Notorious One' his first TKO loss, thus setting back the possibility of McGregor fighting for the title next.
After the fight, Dana White addressed a press conference. Almost immediately, a question about Khabib's comeback chances after McGregor's defeat sprang up. Dana White revealed that Khabib's response to the fight was not positive.
Khabib Nurmagomedov said that he is levels above the current Lightweight roster and has beaten the likes of Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor.
Another instance when the MMA world expected Khabib to return was when talks about a mega-fight with Georges St-Pierre began doing the rounds. Unfortunately, what would have been one of the most epic battles in MMA history did not transpire, as the negotiations failed to bear fruit.
Clarifying his stance on the GSP fight, Khabib Nurmagomedov said:
"...When you say 'Georges St-Pierre,' that's what excites me, and I just want to... that's intriguing to me, but it's over. 'As-salamu Alaykum!' He is 40 years old, leave him alone."
Dana White still believes Khabib Nurmagomedov could return to UFC
Dana White continues to believe that Khabib Nurmagomedov will return to the Octagon, but only if the one challenging his thrown is McGregor.
Dana White says that currently, the Lightweight division needs to compete amongst themselves to determine who rises above everyone else to deserve the title. Therefore, he believes Conor McGregor could bounce back from the loss against Dustin Poirier and compete for the title. White said in this regard:
"I truly believe that if this thing plays out (in favor of) the right guy, he (Khabib Nurmagomedov),will fight him. I truly believe that. And (pointing towards the camera) you know it too, Khabib."
It is highly unlikely that such a scenario would play out. With competition booming and a stacked top 10, the UFC's Lightweight division needs an active champion.
Moreover, it is likely Conor McGregor will need at least two more wins to compete for the title. Therefore, this year will certainly not see the return of Khabib Nurmagomedov, even going by Dana White's theory.
And hanging up the division for an entire year could definitely be a pretty risky proposition for the UFC.
