Chael Sonnen talks about Khabib Nurmagomedov cutting ties with MMA
Chael Sonnen weighs in on Khabib Nurmagomedov cutting ties with MMA. The UFC Hall of Famer recently announced that he would be walking away from the sport to focus on other aspects of his life.
Sonnen uploaded a video to his YouTube channel where he reacted to the former UFC lightweight champion's announcement. He mentioned Khabib's cousin, Umar Nurmagomedov, revealing too much travel as the reason behind 'The Eagle's choice makes it understandable:
"It's the travel that's getting Khabib, he doesn't wanna travel anymore. And I get that. Boy, do I ever...! That is a tough thing, and when you have a family, I mean, it's a really hard thing to be able to do." [0:34 - 0:48]
'The American Gangster' also mentioned that 'The Eagle' has fighters signed with many different promotions and travels back and forth from Dagestan to the AKA gym in San Jose, California.
The former UFC middleweight challenger mentioned that training and operating his team on two different continents could be too much for anybody:
"He's got guys signed in all the major organizations. He's building a major organization with the Eagle FC - they're doing business in two different continents. But he's got a meaningful presence in Bellator, including a champion, right... He's got his own stuff going on over here in the UFC - a lot of that is based out of Vegas." [0:52 - 1:20]
Obviously, 'The Eagle' will be welcomed back if he decides to return to his coaching role in the future. It remains to be seen how long Nurmagomedov plans to step away from the sport in a coaching capacity. Still, his proteges' success will likely make him feel comfortable with the timing of his decision.
Check out the full video:
Khabib's cousin Umar Nurmagomedov remains undefeated with an incredible knockout win
Khabib’s cousin Umar Nurmagomedov is a BAD MAN. @SpinninBackfist https://t.co/Hh8DPbJMu4
Khabib's cousin, Umar Nurmagomedov, earned an incredible knockout win against Raoni Barcelos at UFC Vegas 67 to remain unbeaten in his MMA career.
The surging bantamweight was ranked No.11 prior to the fight and will surely get an opportunity against a top 10 bantamweight for his next fight. Following the bout, the Dagestani mentioned that he'd like a quick turnaround and is targeting UFC 285 at the T-Mobile Arena on March 4 for his next bout.
Since making his UFC debut in 2021, Nurmagomedov has competed in and won all four of his promotional bouts and earned two Performance of the Night bonuses.