Is Khabib Nurmagomedov making a shock return at UFC? Javier Mendez provides update

During his illustrious UFC career, Khabib Nurmagomedov trained under the guidance of Javier ‘Thunder’ Mendez, in addition to his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. Apart from “The Eagle” from Dagestan, Mendez also coaches many fighters from the region, including the current UFC lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev.

Nurmagomedov retired from the UFC after his second-round submission victory over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254. Following his retirement, he embraced the role of a coach for his fellow countrymen in the UFC. Now, Mendez has provided an update on Nurmagomedov’s potential return in a recent interview.

Is Khabib Nurmagomedov returning to UFC?

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s retirement after victory at UFC 254 shocked the MMA community to the core. Nobody prepared for it to happen and UFC CEO Dana White even tried many times to bring him back from retirement. Now, Nurmagomedov’s coach provided an interesting interview where he insinuated a possible return for The Eagle.

“Only when he fights, he trains with me,” said Mendez in a recent interview. Mendez clarified that Nurmagomedov trains all the time but only trains with Mendez when there is a fight. Nurmagomedov recently trained with Mendez and it struck a bulb in Mendez’s head about a possible return.

“Whether he fights it or not, I don’t know,” Mendez further added that he cannot provide a guaranteed answer to whether Nurmagomedov will make a return. “This time we have more time to work cuz we are not in fight mode yet,” quoted Mendez of what Nurmagomedov told him which further piqued the intrigue of Mendez.

After retiring from active competition, Khabib Nurmagomedov coached his protege Islam Makhachev to undisputed lightweight glory in the UFC. However, he soon retired from cornering his fighters, citing the need to be close to his family. Nonetheless, he remains an integral part of the training camps for many fighters from Dagestan.

When did Khabib last fight in UFC?

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s last fight in the UFC was against Justin ‘The Highlight’ Gaethje at UFC 254, a match that the Russian fighter won via a second-round triangle choke submission. This victory marked his third successful defense of the title he secured with a unanimous decision win over Al Iaquinta at UFC 223.

Nurmagomedov faced personal loss before his fight with Gaethje, as his father succumbed to complications from a COVID-19 contraction. Having trained under his father for the entirety of his sporting career, Khabib’s mother requested that he not fight again without his father by his side. Khabib accepted his mother’s proposal and has remained true to it to this day.

Khabib Nurmagomedov stands as the only UFC champion to retire undefeated in their professional MMA career. He participated in 29 MMA fights, with 13 taking place in the UFC. All three of his title defenses were secured via submission against elite competitors: Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje.

Even 3 and half years after his retirement, both Poirier and Gaethje are still ranked top 3 in the division where his protege Islam Makhachev reigns as king. Like Nurmagomedov, Makhachev too earned the pound-for-pound king status after his first-round knockout victory over Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 294.

Do you think Khabib Nurmagomedov will return to fight? Leave your prediction below!