Two weeks before his fight against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254, Khabib Nurmagomedov hinted at retirement in one of his most emotional interviews ever.
The undefeated Russian defeated Gaethje in the second round of Saturday night's main event in Abu Dhabi, clinching victory with a triangle choke from a full mount in the second round.
It was another masterclass from Khabib, but nobody expected a retirement speech following the fight.
Speaking to Jon Anik inside the Octagon, he said: "Today I want to say this is my last fight.
"No way am I coming here without my father. When UFC comes to me about Justin [Gaethje] I spoke with my mother for three days."
"This is my last fight."@TeamKhabib pays his respects following a dominant performance at #UFC254 pic.twitter.com/5HiUvJXBJC
- UFC (@ufc) October 24, 2020
Khabib's decision to retire from MMA stunned the world, with many (including Conor McGregor) paying tribute to the 29-0 fighter on social media.
And although it came as a big surprise, an interview with ESPN from two weeks ago now hits home differently. The hints were there for all to see.
"I am eagle, I want to fly," Khabib said earlier this month.
"When my time comes I'm gonna die. But before my time comes I want to fly. I want to be free. I want to do whatever I want. I want to spend time with my family, my friends, with my people. I want to live in my village."
Almost two weeks out from the fight. Enjoy being free, @TeamKhabib pic.twitter.com/mxQnyYzerx
- Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) October 24, 2020
"I don't want to put crazy goal in front of me. Soon, very soon I think, my career is going to finish. And I'm going to begin my new life without all this interview, without all this media stuff, weight cutting, hard training, focusing.
"I'm going to be getting a new life. And for life, I don't need too much. Even if you're a billionaire, you never eat more than one bread in one day.
"I want to be free, I want to fly, and I want to do whatever I want."
This hits different now :disappointed_relieved:
- Nathan Mangena (@NathanMangena1) October 24, 2020
Following his retirement from the sport, it is believed Nurmagomedov will move into coaching after calling time on his career.
"We have a lot of young generation guys to coach," Khabib said in a video with his coach Javier Mendez of AKA (American Kickboxing Academy) following his final victory.
"We are going to come back on the top very soon. I'm going to help you. I always help you - how many years I help you coach?!"
Khabib's next task?
- UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) October 25, 2020
Help Javier Mendez bring through the next generation of MMA superstars :raised_hands: #UFC254 pic.twitter.com/XrJFd2f7Ra
It feels like the natural step for Khabib. We wish him all the best in his future endeavours.
Featured Image Credit: UFC/ESPN
Topics: Khabib Nurmagomedov, Khabib, Justin Gaethje, UFC News, MMA News, UFC, MMA
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