Khabib Nurmagomedov changed his mind about retirement after pep talk from father circa 2014-16: "He told me you can not give up"
UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov recently opened up about the time when he considered retiring from the sport. Nurmagomedov revealed that he was convinced to continue by his father Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.
Nurmagomedov's father had a significant impact on him. Growing up, Abdulmanap was an essential component of 'The Eagle's' mixed martial arts training and contributed significantly to the former UFC lightweight champion's success in the octagon.
Appearing on the Inspire Me Podcast, Nurmagomedov spoke to host Adam Catterall and talked about his decision to retire from mixed martial arts after suffering severe injuries that prevented him from competing for two years, from 2014 to 2016. The Dagestani's father, nonetheless, persuaded him to continue.
Nurmagomedov said:
''I broke my leg, I had ACL surgery. After that, [Rafael] dos Anjos became champion...And I tried to comeback, I torn one more time ACL and one more surgery. I tried to comeback, I broke my ribs. After that I tried to comeback, I had surgery on my back. It was a very hard time and I remember I was talking with my father, 'maybe this is a signal from God you have to stop'. He told me you can not give up. When you have some test you have to show your toughness if you're tough. If you're not tough you can just give up and that's it.''
Nurmagomedov added:
''With you or without you, I'm going to make someone a UFC champion....this gave me like crazy energy and I just keep going, keep going, I just come back and after that what happened, this is all history.''
Check out Khabib Nurmagomedov's comments below:
A few months after his father's demise, Nurmagomedov faced Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in a title-unification bout, defeating him via second-round submission. The 35-year-old then announced his retirement as he promised his mother that he would not fight without his father's support.
Khabib Nurmagomedov discusses Conor McGregor fight at UFC 229
Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor had one of the most fierce rivalries in the UFC, and their hostility remains to this day. The two competed in UFC 229 when they were at the top of their games. Nurmagomedov dominated McGregor, choking him out in the fourth round.
In the aforementioned podcast, Nurmagomedov reflected on the past and talked about his feelings leading up to the fight against McGregor, stating (via MMA Fighting):
''It was a very emotional time, but at the same time, it was my feeling - I really wanted to bite someone's heart. Do you have that feeling in your life? I just tried to bite his [McGregor] heart."