Khabib Nurmagomedov opens up on life after stepping back from MMA: “I like fighting more than talking”

Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is retired from fighting, but not coaching.

‘The Eagle’ is one of the more interesting figures in MMA history. Holding a 29-0 undefeated record, Khabib Nurmagomedov is the rare athlete to retire in his prime. Due to the death of his father, the Russian retired after a second-round submission win over Justin Gaethje in 2020.

However, the former UFC lightweight champion stayed close in MMA circles. He later started his own Eagle FC fight promotion and signed the likes of Junior dos Santos. Khabib Nurmagomedov was also very active as a coach, and would frequently be seen in fighter’s corners.

That was until last January when Khabib Nurmagomedov announced that he was stepping back from MMA entirely. Since then, the former UFC champion has barely been seen and hasn’t done a lot of interviews. Earlier this week, Nurmagomedov held an incredibly rare Q&A session in Canada.

There, Khabib Nurmagomedov was asked about what it’s like to be retired from MMA. In the scrum, the retired fighter clarified that while he’s stepped back from the sport, he does still coach occasionally. However, he doesn’t corner anymore, as it’s too frustrating for him. He would still love to be in there fighting, but he can’t.

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Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov discusses retirement

“It’s nothing special. But I’m living like all other people, it’s like a normal life.” Khabib Nurmagomedov stated in the recent press event. “I have family, kids, and I have myself. I’m traveling a lot, traveling around the world almost everywhere, and try to inspire people. You know, sometimes we make meet and greet like this here… Nothing special, a normal life.”

He continued, “It’s not like I’m retired from coaching. Like sometimes I go to the gym and share my knowledge and my experience with my brothers. It’s not about retiring [from coaching]. But with MMA, going to cornering in fight week, with this kind of stuff, I’m done. But I still share my knowledge and experience with my brothers, and this is one of the most important things in my life right now.”

“…I still have things to share with them. Grappling, wrestling, some mental things. I still coach my brothers.” Khabib Nurmagomedov concluded. “When I was fighting, you go to the cage and you can control yourself and fight with your opponent, you can do something. But when you’re cornering, it’s very difficult you can just talk you know? You can do nothing… I like fighting more than talking.”

What do you make of these comments from former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov?