If I was a matchmaker, I'd make him come back - Natan Levy says he would order Khabib Nurmagomedov to unretire and fight Charles Oliveira
UFC newcomer Natan Levy would make Khabib Nurmagomedov come out of retirement if it were up to him. According to the Israeli lightweight, if he was a matchmaker he would make Nurmogemedov return to fight Charles Oliveira. Levy said in a recent interview with Freak MMA:
"If I was a matchmaker, you know, so [inaudible] I'd make Khabib come back from retirement to fight Charles."
Natan Levy made his UFC debut last year after being signed on board with an impressive submission win over Shaheen Santana on DWCS. However, Levy dropped a unanimous decision against Rafa Garcia, suffering his first professional loss. The 30-year-old has since bounced back with a decision win over Mike Breeden last month.
Khabib Nurmagomedov doesn't seem keen on fighting Charles Oliveira
Khabib Nurmagomedov retired from the sport of mixed martial arts with an unblemished 29-0 record after his third successful lightweight title defense against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254. 'The Eagle' has since shifted his focus to other ventures, including but not limited to coaching and promoting fights.
Meanwhile, Charles Oliveira won the vacant title with a knockout victory over Michael Chandler at UFC 262 last summer. 'Do Bronx' followed it up with a submission win over Dustin Poirier last December to record his first successful title defense. Most recently, the Brazilian scored a submission win over Justin Gaethje, although he was stripped of the belt after a controversial weight miss.
Currently riding an eleven-fight win streak, Oliveira's seemingly invincible run has drawn comparisons to Nurmagomedov's dominant reign as lightweight king. While 'The Eagle' walked through the entire division during his run, many believe the Dagestani superstar may have an equal in Oliveira.
However, even a lucrative challenge like Oliveira isn't enough to budge Nurmagomedov from his stance of staying retired. Having built his legacy, the former lightweight champ is seemingly content to watch 'Do Bronx' make his own.
'The Eagle' is now rooting for his prodigy Islam Makhachev to make a title bid against Oliveira. Nurmagomedov even boldly predicted Makhachev to finish the Brazilian within three rounds. However, Oliveira believes Makhchev needs to go through a long overdue bout against Beneil Dairush to secure a title shot.
@danawhite you have no other choice but make Oliveira vs Islam fight in AbuDhabi 22 October.
Perfect date, Perfect location,Perfect opponents with perfect winning streaks 10 vs 11.
@MAKHACHEVMMA @ufc