When the “greatest fighter of all time” discussion begins in MMA circles, Khabib Nurmagomedov is one of the first names that UFC fans bring up.
It took Khabib nine fights to earn his first title shot, which came at UFC 223 against Al Iaquinta in a unanimous decision victory for the new Lightweight Champion. And Khabib didn’t intend to give up that title once he got it.
Khabib defended the belt three times, winning matchups againstConor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje — all via submission.
Why did Khabib Nurmagomedov retire from the UFC?
Khabib’s core reason for leaving the UFC is his family.The former champion-level fighter doesn’t want to miss out on being a father to his three children.
Khabib’s retirement came only a few months after losing his own father, Abdulmanap. Hepromised his motherthat the Gaethje fight would be his last.
Khabib has never lost a fight in his professional MMA career.He retired with a pristine 29-0 record, including 13 UFC victories, all coming in dominant fashion.
In fact, Khabibonly lost two roundsin his entire career — one against McGregor and the other vs. Gaethje.
Khabib spends most of his time being a family man, but he still has his fingerprints all over the UFC as Islam Makhachev’s coach.
Makhachev, the reigning UFC Lightweight Champion,credits Khabib as a mentor. The two have been like brothers since childhood.
Neither White nor Khabib have loosened on that stance in recent years.
Hunter Haas was a Senior Sports Writer at Dexerto. Over the last two years he has worked as a writer and editor for FanSided at NFLMocks. He also served as an editor at The Raider Ramble and The Blue Stable. Hunter is an expert in all things MMA, WWE, and NFL.
You can email him here: hunter.haas@dexerto.com
