In a forgotten interview from this year, UFC boss Dana White shed new light on why company icon Khabib Nurmagomedov walked away from the sport in the prime of his career.
UFC fans are used to seeing their favorite fighters still around much longer than their brains and bodies want. They usually need to suffer embarrassing losses before they realize they are no longer the elite fighters they once were. However, that was not the case with UFC lightweight legend Khabib Nurmagomedov.
At the absolute height of his powers, the undefeated champion walked away from the sport at just 30 years old. In his post-fight interview following his final bout, a submission win against Justin Gaethje, he explained how his decision to retire was a request from his mother. Who was still reeling from the loss of her husband, and Nurmagomedov’s father, Abdulmanap.
It was an understandable reason for the family-oriented fighter to leave the sport. Plus, he did very well for himself financially. However, his former boss claims he did far better financially than many MMA fans realized.
Khabib Nurmagomedov record: 29-0 (8 knockouts, 11 submissions)
In a forgotten interview with Games with Names from earlier this year, White claimed Nurmagomedov became a massive star in the Muslim world after his win over Conor McGregor in 2018. Following the victory, he went on a tour to major Muslim nations and was making huge sums from appearances or deals with companies interested in working with him.
White revealed that after his UFC 229 win, Russian President Vladimir Putin called immediately to congratulate him and gave him and his father “$20 million worth of property in Russia.” He also got “cars, money, gyms, and whatever he wanted” from various wealthy individuals during his tour.
The UFC CEO claimed that Nurmagomedov reached such a high level of wealth and fame, going into a camp to compete in a cage fight just isn’t worth it anymore.
In the end, it was probably a mix of the request from his mother after his father’s passing from COVID and becoming wealthier than he ever imagined that led Nurmagomedov to leave fighting at the peak of his career.
