Since his retirement from the sport in 2020, Khabib Nurmagomedov has continued his relationship with the UFC and more importantly Dana White.
When Khabib Nurmagomedov announced his retirement from the sport in 2020, it came as not only a shock to the UFC fans but also to UFC boss Dana White.
Since then, White has attempted to tempt Khabib back into action with several enticing options, however, ‘The Eagle’ has always remained true to his word and has remained in the sport as a coach.
Despite continuing to claim that Khabib retired too early, White has kept a good relationship with the Russian and recently traveled to meet the former UFC lightweight champion.
Khabib attempts to negotiate with Dana White to sign his teammate
Earlier this month, Nurmagomedov shared footage of a new training center he has had built in Dagestan, claiming that money he made from his rivalry with Conor McGregor helped to pay for it.
Looking to continue his father’s legacy as one of the greatest MMA coaches, Khabib continues to coach some of the best fighters in the world, and will continue to do so from his new training center.
With several of his fighters already fighting under the UFC banner, during a recent meeting with the UFC boss, Nurmagomedov attempted to negotiate with White to sign his teammate Abdulrashid Sadulaev.
Sadulaev has won Olympic gold in freestyle wrestling on two occasions, in 2016 and 2020 and has yet to transition to MMA.
Despite that, in a recent meeting with White, Khabib had Sadulaev on FaceTime attempting to negotiate with White and Hunter Campbell on a potential UFC signing and a subsequent fight against Jon Jones.
“Khabib, tell him that we’re preparing for the Russian Championship and the World Cup,” Sadulaev told Khabib who relayed the message to White.
“They’re preparing for the Russian Championship. He’s a two-time Olympic champion, he wants to be in the UFC,” Nurmagomedov told the UFC boss.
“Good luck! Good luck,” White responded.
“He’s 87 kilos, light heavyweight for your boy Jon Jones,” Nurmagomedov joked.
Jon Jones not interested in Tom Aspinall fight as saga continues
The UFC heavyweight title saga between Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall has continued to frustrate the fanbase, with Jones continuing to refuse to fight the interim champion.
In a recent interview, Jones claimed that Aspinall ‘doesn’t excite’ him, stating that he won’t fight him. The heavyweight champion then stormed out of the interview after being asked one final question about the potential fight against Aspinall.