Legendary former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has reportedly retired from mixed martial arts (MMA) coaching to spend time with his family.
In a recent Instagram post, 34-year-old Nurmagomedov seemed to hint that he was leaving the sport completely after discontinuing his participation two years ago.
“Concluding the year. Take care brothers. The year certainly turned out to be a very busy and successful,” Nurmagomedov’s post read. “Take care of yourself brothers. I hope my decision is only for the best, a big hug to you all. Thank you. You were a big reason for my success in sports.” [Translated by Instagram]
See the post below
The news was later confirmed by Russian state media Tass.ru, which added that Nurmagomedov wanted to spend more time with his family.
“Khabib left the MMA industry, sources told Tass.ru. “He will no longer train, will not be present with the team at the training camp. This is done to spend more time with his family.”
A recent tweet by journalist Chisanga Malata said that the former lightweight champion is planning to focus on his family and his business.
The journalist tweeted, “🚨JUST IN🚨 Former #UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is reportedly planning to completely leave MMA. Nurmagomedov has, of course, thrown himself into coaching & Eagle FC since his retirement 2 years ago. He is expected to focus on his family and businesses.”
Check out the tweet below
Shami Zavurov, Khabib’s cousin and fellow professional fighter, also hinted that the former champion has retired from coaching.
“He left this sport, but the sport spirit will never leave him,” Zavurov wrote on Instagram.
See the post below
It is noteworthy that, Khabib has been named one of the world’s 500 most influential Muslims in 2023.
Who is Khabib Nurmagomedov??
Khabib Nurmagomedov is a former mixed martial artist. As well as being the youngest Russian wrestler in history to compete in the UFC, he was also the first Russian and Muslim to win a UFC title.
He was the Lightweight UFC champion holding the longest undefeated streak in MMA history with 29 wins before retiring in March 2021.
He won a high-profile fight with Conor McGregor but was involved in a brawl right after the fight which led to both fighters being banned for several months.
Upon his return to the ring in September 2019, he beat the interim champion. He is of ethnic origin from the Russian Republic of Dagestan and has chosen the nickname “Eagle” to honour this region.
