"It may seem strange" - Khabib Nurmagomedov reveals the conversations with his mother after his retirement from MMA upon her request
Khabib Nurmagomedov has shed light upon the conversations he had with his mother after he retired from MMA upon her request. His father and longtime coach Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov passed away in July 2020.
Following that, the Dagestani fighter's mother asked him to hang up his MMA gloves, as she didn't want him to continue his fighting career without his father by his side.
Khabib Nurmagomedov competed in one last fight after his father's death, beating Justin Gaethje in October 2020 and then announcing his retirement from MMA.
Addressing the reason behind his sudden departure from the sport, Nurmagomedov explained that following his father's demise, he'd promised his mother to quit professional MMA competition, which is why he retired.
"Today is my last fight here in UFC." #UFC254 https://t.co/sq6R9LxN1i
In a video posted to the UFC's YouTube channel, Khabib Nurmagomedov touched upon his conversations with his mother after his retirement. The former UFC lightweight champion suggested that after retiring, they never discussed the possibility of him returning to MMA.
Furthermore, he pointed out that while he usually tried to ensure that his mother didn't watch his fights, she did catch glimpses of some and even watched his last fight in its entirety. 'The Eagle' indicated that she also watched his post-fight retirement speech but didn't discuss it with him:
"She watched the last fight, but we never discussed it. It may seem strange. There were moments that we discussed from other fights but not the last fight."
The interviewer chimed in and suggested that Khabib Nurmagomedov and his mother probably didn't need to discuss his emotional retirement speech as everything about it was already understood. Nurmagomedov responded:
"Perhaps. Maybe it was just such an emotional moment that we didn't discuss it. I don't even know. She didn't ask. I didn't tell her."
Watch Nurmagomedov discuss the topic at 3:03 minute mark in the video below:
Khabib Nurmagomedov prepares for the potential coronation of his heir apparent at UFC 280
Presently, Charles Oliveira is set to face Islam Makhachev for the vacant lightweight title at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E., on October 22. The fight is considered to be significant from a personal standpoint for Makhachev's childhood friend and longtime training partner, Khabib Nurmagomedov.
The undefeated MMA icon has consistently projected Islam Makhachev, who's on an epic 10-fight win streak, as his heir apparent to the lightweight throne. Nurmagomedov has been waxing lyrical about Makhachev's fighting prowess.
Regardless, the consensus is that capturing the UFC lightweight belt might be easier said than done for Islam Makhachev, as he's up against Charles Oliveira who's on an incredible 11-fight win streak.