UFC chief Dana White urged to ‘let’ Khabib retire in peace and allow stacked lightweight division to ‘move on’
UFC president Dana White has been urged to let Khabib Nurmagomedov enjoy his retirement from mixed martial arts.
The reigning lightweight king retired from the sport last October after beating Justin Gaethje at UFC 254, revealing he’d promised his mother he’d no longer fight following the death of his late father.
White has tried everything in his power to convince the Russian to fight one more time but has so far been unsuccessful in convincing him to return to the octagon.
And UFC lightweight standout Kevin Lee reckons the promotion should leave The Eagle be.
He told MMA Junkie: “I think they (UFC) should go ahead and let the man retire.
“Let him retire, let him retire and enjoy himself a little bit.
“Let him take his mind off the game and let the game miss him a little bit.
“And when he does come back, it’ll make for even a bigger fight and one that he’s looking for as a final retirement fight.”
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Lee, one of the few fighters to ever call out Nurmagomedov, reckons the Dagestani destroyer will eventually get the itch to compete again.
The Motown Phenom said: “I think for sure he’ll be back, but let the man take some time.”
Lee reckons Nurmagomedov’s decision to hang up his gloves has made the UFC‘s stacked lightweight division a lot more ‘exciting’.
He said: “[It] adds a lot to the game, that’s for sure. It makes it exciting.
“It makes it a little more fun, and I think overall it’s going to end up being better.
“I think he’ll sell more pay-per-views when he does come back.”
“I just think overall it’s just going to be better. Let him have some time and let the division move on.
“There’s enough contenders and guys out there. Let us move on, let us crown the next champ.
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“Give me my belt, and then we’ll talk about Khabib later.”
UFC supremo White is unlikely to heed Lee’s calls to leave Nurmagomedov alone as he’s vowed to continue his bid to lure him out of retirement for as long as possible.
When recently asked if he’ll stop trying to entice Nurmagomedov back, White said: “It is not going to happen. Not going to happen.
“Until Khabib says ‘leave me alone, leave me alone. Stop asking me, I am done’. He is not saying that, has he said that?”