Khabib Nurmagomedov, the retired undefeated lightweight UFC champion, was rumored to return to the octagon at UFC 300 against Leon Edwards. The rumors spread after an audio clip, perceived by that of American Kickboxing Academy head coach Javier Mendez, circulated on the internet.
Nurmagomedov, 29-0 in professional MMA and 13-0 in the UFC became one of the biggest stars in the UFC during his lightweight title reign. After his retirement, he led his protege Islam Makhachev to undisputed lightweight glory at UFC 280.
Javier Mendez shuts down Khabib Nurmagomedov’s rumored UFC 300 return
Javier Mendez shut down any hopes of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s return to UFC 300 with a recent video post on his Instagram. Mendez, who was in Dubai, responded to the news of Nurmagomedov’s return upon his return to the United States of America.
“Stop all this nonsense regarding Khabib coming back and me and him training. There’s been no such thing happening. We’re not discussing training; we never have,” said Mendez on his Instagram clarifying that there is no chance of Nurmagomedov ever coming back.
“Khabib is still devoted to what he said. He’s devoting his time to his family. He’s not working people’s corners; he’s not going to ever fight, to my knowledge,” Mendez further added.
“We train together, actually, but we’re doing cardio. We weren’t doing any kickboxing, any kind of MMA training whatsoever. So, stop the clickbait,” Mendez criticized the media for spreading information without proper investigation. Nonetheless, Mendez acknowledged the fact that Nurmagomedov trained with him, but it was not for martial arts but for cardio.
Dana White has yet to announce two more title fights for UFC 300. The UFC CEO recently announced a women’s strawweight title fight between Zhang Weili and Yan Xionann as the first of three title fights for UFC 300. He had earlier announced an exciting number-one contender lightweight bout between former champion Charles Oliveria and rising contender in the division, Arman Tsarukyan.
Why did Khabib Nurmagomedov retire from UFC?
Khabib Nurmagomedov retired from the UFC and professional MMA at UFC 254 after a second-round submission victory over Justin Gaethje. It was the third defense of his undisputed lightweight title which is tied with Benson Henderson, BJ Penn, and Frankie Edgar for the most in the division.
Nurmagomedov’s retirement was a result of the death of his father Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov due to complications caused after he underwent surgery following COVID-19 contraction. Nurmagomedov’s mother urged her son to not compete as he does not have his father there to coach him which he respectfully agreed.
After his retirement, Nurmagomedov was an active part of the training camps of fighters from Dagestan, notably Islam Makhachev, Usman Nurmagomedov, Umar Nurmagomedov, and Abubakr Nurmagomedov to name a few. He even cornered welterweight contender Belal Muhammad at UFC 280 where Muhammad defeated the then undefeated Sean Brady via TKO.
Nurmagomedov was recently awarded the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Sports Award by the United Arab Emirates Prime Minister for his contributions to the sport of MMA. The UFC has business ties with the UAE where they host a PPV event annually every October.
Do you think Khabib Nurmagomedov would ever return? Leave your thoughts below!
