Khabib Nurmagomedov retired the night he could have reached Conor McGregor-esque fame: Former UFC fighter
Khabib Nurmagomedov could have ascended to the highest echelon of fame had he not retired from MMA in 2020 according to Chael Sonnen.
'The Eagle' rose in popularity due to his straight-talking broken English on the microphone and sheer dominance over opponents in the octagon. But his intense rivalry with fellow star Conor McGregor is what catapulted Nurmagomedov to stardom.
'The American Gangster' stated that Khabib Nurmagomedov was on the brink of reaching the Irishman's level of fame but retired on the night he could have gotten there.
During a recent video on his YouTube channel, Chael Sonnen said:
"For a guy to be interesting enough that his opponent doesn't matter, it's so rare. They say over the history of combat sports it's only happened twice, Oscar De La Hoya and Mike Tyson. You need to put Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor on that list. Those guys aren't even fighting anymore... Khabib was never really in that spot, so we don't know. I think he retired the night he would have possibly have graduated to that spot."
Watch the video below:
Khabib Nurmagomedov's retirement followed his father's unfortunate passing due to COVID-related health issues. 'The Eagle' promised his mother that his fight at UFC 254 against Justin Gaethje would be his last and has stayed true to his word.
Sonnen did not provide reasons for his assumption. However, given that MMA had risen in popularity in many countries outside of the US during Nurmagomedov's reign as champion, it would be sensible to assume that his popularity would only have gotten bigger.
Khabib Nurmagomedov appears to have totally retired from MMA in cryptic post
Khabib Nurmagomedov shocked the world once again with a recent Instagram post that appeared to hint at the departure of 'The Eagle' from MMA entirely.
Since his retirement in 2020, Nurmagomedov has taken up a role as a coach for MMA fighters, both in the UFC and other promotions. 'The Eagle' has also created his own MMA promotion, Eagle FC, and has split his time between coaching and running the organization.
In a recent Instagram post, Nurmagomedov appeared to hint that he would be stepping away from the sport entirely:
"Concluding the year. Take care brothers. The year certainly turned out to be a very busy and successful. I hope my decision is only for the best, a big hug to you all. Thank you. You were a big reason for my success in sports." [Translated by Instagram]
See the post below: