Khabib Nurmagomedov walked away from the world of MMA after his emphatic win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in what was shocking for every fight fan in the world. Now, former dual champion and possibly Khabib’s biggest arch-nemesis Conor McGregor has finally broken his silence on the Dagestani fighter’s decision to retire this early in his career.
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“How you could walk away at this stage is baffling to me but to each their own … I was not surprised to see him scurry away,” McGregor told Oscar Willis on The Mac Life.
Conor McGregor on Khabib Nurmagomedov’s retirement: “How you could walk away at this stage is baffling to me but to each their own … I was not surprised to see him scurry away.” (Via @oscarswillis)
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) January 14, 2021
Ahead of UFC 254, all the eyes were on Khabib Nurmagomedov who walked inside the Octagon against a lethal striker and a credible wrestler in the form of Justin Gaethje. However, Nurmagomedov made it look easy as he submitted Gaethje in the second round to register the 29th straight win of his professional MMA career.
Khabib’s father Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov’s demise had a lot to with the lightweight champion’s decision to call it quits, he explained in the post-fight interview how it was very difficult for him to enter the Octagon without his father by his side for the first time. Earlier, Nurmagomedov had said that he would retire after touching the coveted mark of 30-0, however, that wasn’t the case.
Did Khabib Nurmagomedov retire because of Conor McGregor?
Now, as Conor McGregor fears up to take on the former interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC 256, all eyes are on whether Nurmagomedov will return one last time to defend his lightweight gold to touch the impeccable 30-0. Earlier, he had stated that he would take on any fighter who can get past Dustin Poirer.
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Needless to say, this led many to believe that should McGregor get past Poirier come January 23 at UFC 256, fight fans could finally witness the hugely anticipated rematch between both the fighters. The likelihood of that happening seems unlikely. However, Dana White has stated that he would be meeting Nurmagomedov at Fight Island, and the announcement of what lies ahead for Nurmagomedov is right around the corner.
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Be that as it may, Conor McGregor added that it was Nurmagomedov’s decision and he has nothing to say about it. However, he did add that he wasn’t surprised to see him scurry away from this soon.
Do you think Khabib Nurmagomedov called retirement because of Conor McGregor? Do let us know your views in the comments section.