The only people who will be pleased with Khabib Nurmagomedov’s retirement will be those who competed with him in the UFC lightweight division.Since Nurmagomedov won the belt in April 2018, his rivals didn’t get a sniff.Conor McGregor was dispatched with ease at UFC 229, while Dustin Poirier was outclassed at UFC 242.The Russian defended his title for a third time in under two rounds against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254.
His retirement from mixed martial arts came as a shock and, while his reasons were entirely understandable, UFC fans are still allowed to be disappointed that Nurmagomedov is done.
Nurmagomedov’s close friend Daniel Cormier is sure that there will be no U-turn.
Cormier told ESPN: “When he said that, and he said, 'I give my word, and that's the only thing I have,' I was like, 'He's done.’”
Hopefully, Nurmagomedov remains in MMA in some capacity. He’s an expert and his knowledge and expertise will be valuable, either as a coach or in the media.
Thread of Khabib perfectly predicting fights
Listening to the Eagle call a fight would be incredible. Indeed, he has an impressive record when it comes to predicting bouts.
A Twitter thread of Nurmagomedov perfectly predicting fights has emerged and it proves he’s something of a genius.
There’s a reason why he has t-shirts that read ‘KHABIB KNOWS’.
Let’s break down the thread…
1. UFC 251 predictions
Nurmagomedov predicted Kamaru Usman to beat Jorge Masvidal, Petr Yan to defeat Jose Aldo and Max Holloway to overcome Alexander Volkanovski.
The first two were right, but Holloway was beaten via unanimous decision. The fight wasn’t without controversy though, with many believing Holloway was robbed.
2. Predicting Jorge Masvidal to KO Ben Askren
3. Predicting the entire UFC 194 main card
Conor McGregor, Luke Rockhold, Yoel Romero, Demian Maia, Max Holloway. Nailed it.
4. Predicting Conor McGregor to finish Jose Also
5. Predicting Donald Cerrone to beat Eddie Alvarez
6. Predicting Rafael dos Anjos to beat Anthony Pettis
Click HERE to read the thread in full.