Khabib Nurmagomedov can’t wrap his head around why people keep asking him about retirement on the eve of his lightweight title unification bout against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254.
The undefeated UFC lightweight champion has hinted that he would like to retire at 30-0 and be remembered as the Floyd Mayweather of MMA but, speaking to BT Sport’s Adam Catterall in a recent interview, Nurmagomedov (28-0 MMA, 12-0 UFC) teased that he could be competing in the UFC for a long time to come.
“I don’t know why people talk about my retirement. Maybe you guys are tired of me?” Nurmagomedov said with a grin (h/t Abhinav Kini of The Body Lock MMA). “A lot of media ask me about my retirement. But I want to compete. I like competition. I really want to compete with high-level guys. That’s why I’m here. All my life, I am doing this.”
“Right now, I have a perfect opponent. He’s very tough — a lot of people talk about, he’s going to be the worst match for me, but we’ll see.”
If Khabib does beat Gaethje, the Dagestani will extend his career record to 29-0 and possibly surpass Jon Jones as the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
UFC 254: Khabib vs. Gaethje takes place this Saturday, Oct. 24 at the Flash Forum on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
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