Khabib Nurmagomedov shuts down talk of return ahead of Conor McGregor’s UFC 257 rematch with Dustin Poirier
KHABIB NURMAGOMEDOV has seemingly shut down talk of a return to the UFC – claiming he doesn’t want to go against his mother’s wishes.
The Russian retired from mixed martial arts last October following his UFC 254 victory over Justin Gaethje, revealing he’d promised his mother he’d no longer compete without his late father by his side.
But the promotion’s lightweight champion recently informed Dana White he’d consider returning to the cage if one of the four 155-pounders competing this weekend at UFC 257 – Conor McGregor included – does something spectacular.
But The Eagle has seemingly had another change of heart, telling Sport24: “My mother is the most precious thing I have left.
“Come on, you won’t push me to do things that will disappoint my mother.”
Although he’s one win away from boasting a perfect 30-0 record, Nurmagomedov, 32, believes he’s achieved everything he can in the sport.
He added: “I know that there are many fighters who would like to earn money, who strive for something.
“What should I do? A lot of people don’t want to understand my side. I don’t see that yet.”
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The prospect of returning for one more fight has been repeatedly put to Nurmagomedov over the last few weeks and is beginning to irk him.
He said: “I have left it behind. Don’t torment me, let me enjoy what I have for today.
“And just so you know, I’ve sacrificed a lot to get to this level.”
Nurmagomedov’s stance on competing again seems a far cry from how White interpreted their recent meeting in Abu Dhabi.
Last weekend, White said: “Basically the way that he feels right now is, he’s accomplished everything he set out to accomplish.
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“He thought that [Charles] Oliveira looked really good in his last fight against Tony Ferguson.
“So next Saturday we’ve got the [Conor] McGregor, [Dustin] Poirier fight and [Michael] Chandler and [Dan] Hooker on there.
“So his words to me were, ‘I’m going to watch this fight. I would never tie up the division.
“These guys do something spectacular, show me something spectacular and make me want to come back and fight.'”
UFC 257 will take place on Saturday night at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi
The first pay-per-view card of 2021 will be headlined by a rematch between former interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier and McGregor.