Khabib Nurmagomedov’s coach says ‘unspectacular’ Conor McGregor is responsible for keeping the UFC legend in retirement
KHABIB NURMAGOMEDOV’s trainer claimed Conor McGregor’s ‘unspectacular’ performance against Dustin Poirier was the reason the Russian fighter stayed on in retirement.
Khabib, 34, hung up his gloves in 2020 with a perfect professional MMA record of 29 wins and no losses.
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His last victory came over Justin Gaethje in Abu Dhabi, two years after he forced McGregor to resign in the fourth round of a one-sided grudge fight.
And his manager Javier Mendez has now revealed he is considering a comeback ahead of Poirier’s first win over McGregor in January 2021.
However, the Irishman failed to impress Khabib as he was stopped after a barrage of punches in the second round.
Speak with Grosvenor sportsMendez said, “After Khabib retired, they were still testing them.”
“Dana White didn’t remove Khabib from the testing pool after he retired because he still hoped Khabib would fight again but then Khabib got fed up with being tested so he told Dana he didn’t want to test anymore and that he wouldn’t come.” back.
“He was roughly tested for about eight months before he had enough.
“The UFC tried to get him to come back and he was close.
“You saw it when we were in Abu Dhabi. He said, ‘If someone shows me something spectacular, maybe I’ll come back.’
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“That night it was Conor vs. Poirier but it didn’t excite Khabib. He said if there was something on that card that aroused him then maybe he would consider it.”
“But it never happened. The UFC pushed him, but nothing excited him, so that’s how it was.” [a] no-go.”
Following his loss to Poirier in early 2021 – a man he’d beaten seven years earlier – McGregor faced the American for a third time six months later.
But it was the same result for the former twoweight world champion as he broke his leg from a kick late in the first round and the doctor stopped the fight.
McGregor has not been seen in the octagon since that fight almost two years ago.
To return, he must complete a six-month drug test, but has yet to be included in USADA’s online database.
The last UFC pay-per-view of the year is set for December 16, meaning McGregor should have signed up by June 16.
His return remains in limbo as it is set to be delayed until next year.
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