Coach Says Khabib Nurmagomedov Misses Fighting

Khabib Nurmagomedov will forever be regarded as one of the best UFC fighters to have competed in the MMA world. Khabib put an end to his career after his match against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in 2020.

Dana White previously announced that Kabib was done for good and there was no going back. At UFC Vegas 22, Khabib was talking to Kevin Holland. Despite Khabib’s advice, Holland would be defeated by Derek Brunson.

After the end of the match, Khabib Nurmagomedov was found talking to Megan Olivi, discussing his retirement from UFC. The former UFC lightweight champion stated that he had no intention of ever returning to MMA as the UFC has nothing left to offer except money fights. On top of that, he wants to keep his promise to his mother of never fighting again after the death of his father Abdulmanap.

While speaking to Betway Inside, American Kickboxing Academy head coach Javier Mendez, who has trained with Khabib in the past, recently admitted that Khabib really misses fighting inside the Octagon.

“I guess you could say he wants to fight again – but absolutely not because his mother would have to give him permission before any of that. I mean, he misses training, he misses fighting.

I took it as he misses being around me and coaching. Our relationship is more than fighting, that goes beyond fighting. It’s not a relationship like: ‘ok I’m done with my career, you know, my coach and I were just distant friends’. No. We’re family, we grew with each other. They’re family to me and we’ll always be in each other’s lives for the rest of our lives.”

Since retiring from MMA for good, Khabib Nurmagomedov has been focused on his own fighting promotion Eagle Fighting Championship, but won’t be competing there.