UFC: Could Khabib Nurmagomedov be about to come out of retirement?
- Published
Khabib Nurmagomedov paid an emotional tribute to his father after his last professional fight in October
Khabib Nurmagomedov "might" come out of retirement depending on what takes place at UFC 257, says UFC president Dana White.
The undefeated Russian retired after beating Justin Gaethje to retain his lightweight title in October.
One of the fights at UFC 257 on 24 January will be Conor McGregor against Dustin Poirier.
"The way that he feels right now is, he's accomplished everything he wanted," White said of Nurmagomedov.
"If these guys can do something special, Khabib will fight them.
"If these guys do what I think they are going to do next weekend, it sounds like he might be interested in fighting them."
Dan Hooker and Michael Chandler will also be fighting at UFC 257.
Former two-weight UFC champion McGregor has come out of retirement to fight Poirier for a second time.
McGregor lost to Nurmagomedov in October 2018, but the Irishman has recently told ESPN "he would destroy that man" in a rematch.
Nurmagomedov met with White to fuel speculation the 32-year-old is set to come out of retirement.
He has a perfect professional record of 29 wins, and is considered by some to be the greatest mixed martial arts fighter of all time.
Prior to White's comments, he and Nurmagomedov teased fans on their social media platforms with pictures and videos, including footage of them entering a room together, before White closes the door on the camera.
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As a result, both Nurmagomedov and McGregor were trending on social media.
Immediately after his victory over Gaethje at UFC 254 in Abu Dhabi, Nurmagomedov paid tribute to his father, coach and mentor Abdulmanap, who died in July following complications arising from Covid-19.
Despite many believing Nurmagomedov would chase his 30th professional win before contemplating retirement, the emotional champion asked his team-mates to cut his gloves off before quitting.
"It was my last fight. There's no way I'm going to come here without my father," he said. "It was the first time after what happened with my father, when the UFC called me about (fighting) Justin, I talked with my mother for three days.
"She didn't want me to fight without father, but I promised her it was going to be my last fight, and if I give my word, I have to follow this. It was my last fight here."
Nurmagomedov was voted BBC Sports Personality's World Sport Star of the Year for 2020 last month.
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