Khabib Nurmagomedov’s manager Ali Abdelaziz has hinted at the possibility of the former UFC champion returning for a grappling match.

Back at UFC 254, Khabib Nurmagomedov submitted Justin Gaethje in the second round of their UFC lightweight title bout. The win took Khabib up to 29-0 in his mixed martial arts career and, to this day, has served as his final appearance in the octagon.

The Russian star retired after his victory and has stuck to his guns ever since. Now, he’s got his hands full both as a coach and a promoter with the latter coming as a result of his association with Eagle FC.

The promotion has begun to enter the US market with their latest event on Saturday night being headlined by Kevin Lee vs Diego Sanchez.

Even though he’s just 33 years of age, there aren’t many fans or pundits out there who believe Khabib is going to return to active competition.

Ali Abdelaziz, though, couldn’t help but tease the idea on social media through recent ‘rumours’ he’s heard regarding Eagle FC.

“Rumors Eagle FC going to have Grappling tournament soon @TeamKhabib @Rizvan_RM. Can you imagine if Khabib compete also”

Given the incredible pedigree Khabib has in the grappling department, this does come across as one of the most realistic ways in which he could return.

At the same time, Abdelaziz has been known to hype fans up on Twitter in the past, sometimes without any kind of notable pay-off.

The next Khabib?

What Ali may instead choose to focus his attention on moving forward is Islam Makhachev.

After a 10-fight win streak, Makhachev has been able to surge right into contention at 155 pounds. His last win, over Bobby Green, was followed by a string of calls for Islam to get a shot at the world title in his next fight.

There’s every chance that could still happen but with Dana White insisting he needs to take on Beneil Dariush first, we may have to wait a bit longer before seeing whether or not Makhachev can officially follow in the footsteps of the great Nurmagomedov by becoming a UFC champion.