Sonnen on why Khabib didn’t break Gaethje’s arm: “He knew Justin would want to hug his mother”

Former UFC and Bellator fighter American Chael Sonnen told why Khabib Nurmagomedov did not break Justin Gaethje’s arm.

“I was a fan of Khabib, but I didn’t even know how good he was until he fought Gaethje,” Chael Sonnen said on his podcast of the same name. So, Khabib rolled onto his back, went to the armbar, but did not follow him, because, as he later said, he saw Justin’s mother in the front row. He knew that Justin would want to hug his mother after the fight, so he didn’t break his arm. I think Khabib was telling the truth because I saw him let go of that hand. I saw him look into the crowd and let go of his hand.”

Nurmagomedov and Gaethje fought in October 2020 at UFC 254 in Abu Dhabi. Khabib defeated Justin by choke (triangle) in the second round and immediately after the fight announced his retirement. In total, the undefeated Russian has 29 victories.