Unless a fight with Georges St-Pierre is on the table, Javier Mendez would advise Khabib Nurmagomedov to call it quits on his MMA career.
Nurmagomedov (29-0) retired from professional competition following his submission win over Justin Gaethje last October, after promising his mother he would not fight again without his late father.
St-Pierre has been vocal about a fight with Khabib, recently stating it “excites him” and that the UFC “knows where to reach him”. Talking to Submission Radio, Mendez said the only fight Khabib should come back for is GSP.
“If he asked my opinion, I would say hold out for GSP or retire,” Mendez said. “That’s what I would tell him. But he’s never asked me, so that conversation never took place.”
Before Dustin Poirier’s stoppage win over Conor McGregor at UFC 257, White was badgering Khabib over a potential rematch with the Irishman. The two first fought at UFC 229 in 2018 where Khabib won by fourth-round submission. Mendez says that rematch will never happen.
“You’re never gonna get that rematch,” Mendez said. “Just like you’re never going to get the Tony and Khabib fight. That’s never gonna happen either. It’s not gonna happen. I mean, Khabib doesn’t need it. He seems fulfilled. And like I said, I think the only juicy part for him is what his father wanted, GSP. I’ve said it many times.”
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