Khabib Nurmagomedov has a genuine case to be classed as one of the UFC’s best ever.
He retired in 2020 with an undefeated streak of 29-0. His last fight, which was against Justin Gaethje, was the first and only time he walked into the Octagon without his father. Abdulmanap was a constant in his son’s career and, when he tragically passed away during the pandemic, Khabib made a promise to his mother that he wouldn’t compete again.
Khabib is the longest-reigning UFC lightweight champion in history, having held the title from April 2018 to his retirement date. It’s fair to say that ‘The Eagle’ has earned his time off.
He went through a lot in his career, including hard weight cuts. Khabib has gone on record many times to say that cutting weight to make 155lbs was tough for him.
Khabib piles on the pounds following UFC retirement
Khabib is obviously under no restrictions with his weight now that he is firmly retired. The Russian was inducted into the UFC’s Hall of Fame earlier this year in the modern wing, with it being pretty much certain that he will never come out of retirement.
This has given him the freedom to become a coach and a promoter, which has allowed him to come back up to a weight he is comfortable with. In fact, Khabib is 50lbs heavier now compared to his UFC days.
Khabib Nurmagomedov has put on a lot of weight since UFC retirement
The former lightweight champion had the following to say about his condition while at a charity event in London: “I weigh 205lbs now, maybe 204lbs in the morning if I don’t have dessert the night before. When I was an active fighter, I was 190lbs and I cut weight to 155lbs. I finished my career, I gained about five kilos, but I can’t do anything with this.
“It was one of the hardest things in my life to stay away from food, even now. It was hard because for 15 years I was on a diet, maybe more. To make weight I had to stay on a diet all my life. Being a religious person, we have to stay away from a lot of things. When food comes on the table, sometimes you want to enjoy it. I have to train every day to get back to 86 kilo, or I can live a happy life. I’m going to be happy and drink Pepsi.”
That means if he were to fight in the UFC again, he would currently be in the light heavyweight division!
Khabib obviously still focuses a lot on his health. He trains everyday, but with much less intensity. He tries to train at least one hour a day, but, like he says, he is much more relaxed now than in his UFC days.
Khabib's current training
“I train maybe one hour a day, but before when I was active I was training at least four hours everyday. Two hours in the morning and two hours at night. Sometimes I felt that wasn’t enough, when I was very hungry and before I was champion, I was training very late, like midnight. When I became UFC champion, I began to train smarter to protect my body.”
Fans will be happy to see Khabib doing well following his retirement. He is a UFC legend who has kept himself busy especially since he will likely never compete again.