Khabib Nurmagomedov visited entrepreneur Patrick Beta David. The former champion of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in lightweight spoke for more than an hour on topical issues (an interview published on the PBD Podcast YouTube channel is attached below), but the question of the current form of the Russian turned out to be the most interesting for MMA fans. The eagle replied that, as in the days of a great career, he simply did not have rivals with whom he could not cope even after three years of inactivity.
“I believe that I can beat anyone in the world even now. I’m not old. People forget why I ended. Not because I got old. Because I lost my father, I didn’t want to fight without him. I’m only 34 years old now” , — the ex-UFC champion put it on the shelves.
Looking ahead, we admit: the Russian is not disingenuous at all. But will it get to the 30th pro fight? » mozallowfullscreen=»mozallowfullscreen» allowfullscreen=»allowFullScreen» frameborder=»0″>
Recall that Khabib ended his career in October 2020 after a bright victory over American Justin Gaethje. The Russian retired from sports, having defended his belt three times and cleared the division, without losing a single fight (29-0) and becoming the first number in the rating, regardless of the weight category (Р4Р).
Do not forget about those who encroached on the Eagle's belt:
- Conor McGregor. To this day, remains the main star of the world MMA;
- Dustin Poirier. At that time, he owned a time zone and was seen as a much more dangerous opponent than the Irishman;
- Justin Gaethje. Also an interim champion who took Khabib's nemesis Tony Ferguson out of the way.
But all three were ground down in the fourth, third and second rounds respectively. This is what absolute dominance looked like, which was interrupted for personal reasons: the death of Abdulmanap's father seriously hit the native of Dagestan. It became impossible to concentrate on sports after such a shock, and after UFC 254 in Abu Dhabi, Khabib suddenly put an end to his sports chronicle.
However, no one wanted to let Khabib go so easily. UFC President Dana White was ready to fill up the Russian with money to participate in another show, McGregor provoked on social networks, and fans did not lose hope of seeing Orel in a cage again. Nurmagomedov himself did not give up on sports either: he continued training, under his strict guidance Islam Makhachev became the UFC lightweight champion, Usman Nurmagomedov became the Bellator champion in the same weight category, and Umar Nurmagomedov gained momentum and is now one step away from the top 10 bantamweight division in the main MMA promotion.
At the beginning of 2023, Khabib also retired from coaching. Then even the most optimistic Orel fan had doubts that in a couple of years the undefeated Russian would miss the octagon and still agree to the last, 30th duel.
In fact, Khabib has no incentive to return. He has nothing to prove, there is plenty of money, and there are no fundamental confrontations that could rekindle the fire in the heart of a fighter. Conor is no longer relevant as a fighter, Tony Ferguson lost six fights in a row and sank to the bottom, the star Charles Oliveira surrendered to Makhachev — certainly not for the sake of the Brazilian Nurmagomedov will drive a couple of tens of kilograms. given to the mother after the death of the father.
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"I ended my career because I made a promise to my mom. However, in reality there were many different moments that people do not know about. Not only this promise … I follow everything that concerns my mother. After all, you can have friends, children … Maybe whatever you want, but there will never be another mother. For me, she is everything. I know that even in Dagestan, although not only there, many have a bad relationship with their parents. I don't understand this at all. How can people have bad relationships with their parents? Even now, my mother is still with me, as if we live in the same house. I treat her like a queen.»
Khabib Nurmagomedovcomment for MMA Junkie
* * * Let's go back to Khabib's claim that he will beat anyone in the world. Let's narrow down the sample to the UFC and the weight category where Nurmagomedov left, remove Makhachev from there and get the top 5 best lightweights. The Russian has already beaten two of these guys, the remaining three will also be a cakewalk for him.
Let's take a look at the welterweight division where the opposition to Khabib would be a bit stronger.
- LEON EDWARDS (Champion);
It is impossible to imagine a fight with Khamzat and Comrade Kamaru, as well as with a trainee in the team of Khabib Muhammad. Burns is easy and uninteresting, but Covington and Edwards … That would be cool! Edwards would most likely run out of steam under the pressure of a high-class fighter, but Colby with his «gas tank» and no less love for the ground would definitely create problems for a member of the UFC Hall of Famer.
Who knows, perhaps if Donald Trump's favorite wins over Edwards, the UFC leadership will again go to Khabib and try to organize a meeting with the former champion for the new champion? Fortunately, Covington has been spinning a fiery poster for more than a year, and such a confrontation will collect, if not as many pay-per-view broadcasts (PPV), then close to Khabib VS McGregor (2.4 million).
Won't it work? The rise of Makhachev for the second belt will be less hyped, but no less significant event for the domestic (and world) sports.