MMA News: Nurmagomedov Staying Retired, Ex-UFC Champion Wishing ‘Eagle’ Returns

Retired UFC fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov has been highly speculated of likely returning at one point to the octagon and there is no telling when. And it appears that is not happening any time soon after “The Eagle” reiterated that he is retired and has no plans of ever returning to the UFC.

Nurmagomedov emphasized this when he was interviewed by TMZ. He was asked about his future inside the octagon and responded “no” several times. The Russian did not appear to be in the mood for an interview but did indicate that he would prefer to focus on developing fighters than fighting himself.

The man in the video went on to touch on Conor McGregor, someone that Nurmagomedov was pretty familiar with. The 32-year-old appeared to hardly care when asked if “The Notorious” could return from his recent injury, responding with “I don’t know.”

When asked if McGregor crossed the line when he tweeted something about Khabib’s father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, “The Eagle” just responded with “I think so.”

Nurmagomedov is still keeping his promise to his mother, retiring after his UFC 254 fight against Justin Gaethje. But most felt that the door is not entirely closed on seeing the Russian have a change of heart.

Ironically, former UFC middleweight champion Murilo Bustamante admitted that he loved to watch Nurmagomedov in action. The 54-year-old Brazilian was the special guest on Sports For All PH on Aug. 3, 2021, hosted by Filipino journalists Vincent Juico and Brian Yalung.

Bustamante was asked on his take on whether there was any chance that Nurmagomedov would return to fighting. He hopes to see that happen and explained why.

“I wish he can come back. He should come back. I love to watch his fights. He is very good in everything he does. His striking game, he improved a lot in his striking game, amazing takedowns. His ground game is very good,” Bustamante stated.

Further, the retired Brazilian mixed martial artist explained that Nurmagomedov’s unpredictable nature in fights is what makes him a joy to watch.

“The most important for a fighter to become a champion is to be unpredictable. Nurmagomedov was very unpredictable. So that’s important. That is why I like to watch his fights,” Bustamante quipped.