“Deep down, I remain a competitor,” the undefeated Russian said in an interview with Patrick Bet-David. “Even now I still believe I can beat anyone in the world. I’m not old yet, and people forget why I ended my career. I didn’t do it because I got old – I lost my father and I didn’t want to fight without him. That’s why I retired, not because I got older.”
However, the UFC Hall of Fame member rules out the possibility that he will one day return to the octagon.
“I’m only 34 years old and I’ve wanted to compete since I was born, but I don’t think I should come back. There are many reasons, but primarily because of my mom. No, I’m not thinking about coming back.”
In October 2020, Khabib Nurmagomedov earned his thirteenth consecutive victory in the UFC, successfully unifying the interim and current titles in a bout against American Justin Gaethje, before announcing the end of his professional career.