Khabib Nurmagomedov is reportedly retiring from MMA completely.
Nurmagomedov wrote in Russian on an Instagram post, which indicated that he’s leaving the sport to reportedly focus on his family.
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The former UFC lightweight champion – who holds the record as the longest-reigning UFC lightweight champion – first left a part of MMA when he retired from competition after successfully defending his title against top contender Justin Gaethje in October of 2020.
Nurmagomedov had just lost his father and trainer, Abdulmanap, due to complications from Covid-19.
Not too long after he retired, he re-entered the MMA scene as a coach. He has been Islam Makhachev’s mentor; Makhachev recently won the UFC lightweight title from former champion Charles Oliveira.
Javier Mendez, a coach from American Kickboxing Academy, confirmed the news to Yahoo Sports.
“He just doesn’t want to miss being a father,” Mendez told Yahoo Sports.
“He talked to me about three weeks ago and told me of his plan and said he planned to talk to the team and inform them of his decision. He’s doing this for the right reasons. He’s a family man and he simply wants to spend more time with his family.”
Here’s how some of the MMA community reacted to the news.
Khabib stayed active in the MMA scene even after retirement to finish what Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov started 🦅 pic.twitter.com/eKD6UTmBkz
— General⚡Usman (@UsmanTime) January 7, 2023
Considering his coaching schedule post retirement, this wouldn’t be too surprising. He never left, his presence in the sport only increased. Although the timing is strange with Islam-Volk around the corner. https://t.co/Uzy6XC7Q8w
— caposa (@Grabaka_Hitman) January 7, 2023
Khabib Nurmagomedov has retired as an MMA coach and is stepping away from the sport (per @KevinI). Farewell to a once-in-a-lifetime talent 🫡 pic.twitter.com/qfe14oILES
— Shakiel Mahjouri (@Shak_Fu) January 8, 2023
Mendez further said that it is unclear if Nurmagomedov will corner Makhachev in his first title defense against Alex Volkanovski on February 11 at UFC 284.