When Kamaru Usman perfectly summed up why Khabib Nurmagomedov's retirement wasn't welcomed by MMA fans
Khabib Nurmagomedov retired back in 2020. In doing so, he walked away undefeated in MMA, with a record of 29 wins and no losses. Furthermore, he was also the UFC lightweight champion, with the division's record number of title defenses, and the pound-for-pound #1 fighter in the world when he retired.
However, despite having a storied career, his retirement wasn't welcomed by fans, even if his reasoning was understandable. He left behind several matchups, including one against his former competitive rival Tony Ferguson. Furthermore, he was never tested, which is something that Kamaru Usman recently pointed out.
Khabib Nurmagomedov has only ever lost two rounds across 29 fights, one against Conor McGregor in their historic war at UFC 229, and one against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254. But he barely lost them. During an appearance on the FULL SEND PODCAST, Usman touched on Nurmagomedov:
"The problem is the world is programmed this way, to where someone is undefeated, they ran through everybody, but it's like 'No, you can't leave until you lose. So no, that guy, this is the next guy, this guy is going to beat you, you know, you stay until you lose.' And it's like that. We just want to see them lose. We want to see them humanized. You know, we don't want to see superheroes."
Kamaru Usman furthered his point by comparing Khabib Nurmagomedov to Floyd Mayweather Jr., who also retired undefeated from his respective combat sport of boxing. However, boxing fans spent years clamoring for someone to beat him, which was part of the intrigue behind his match with Manny Pacquiao.
Who hit Khabib Nurmagomedov the hardest?
Throughout his career, Khabib Nurmagomedov has faced several fighters with an abundance of punching power. He has beaten foes like Dustin Poirier, who is known for being a powerful combination puncher, Conor McGregor, whose left hand has become part of MMA folklore, and Justin Gaethje, 'The Highlight.'
According to Nurmagomedov, no one has hit him harder than Gaethje, who he described as hitting like a truck. Given 'The Highlight's' high knockout percentage, it isn't surprising that his power dealt the most damage to Nurmagomedov.