Khabib Nurmagomedov just wants to be left alone
By Amy Kaplan
![Khabib Nurmagomedov Khabib Nurmagomedov](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_6000,h_3375,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/GettyImages/mmsport/505/01hda384z41sws0xvj76.jpg)
Former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov retired from MMA and has asked fans, yet again, to stop asking where he is or when he's coming back.
On Saturday, after UFC 294, Nurmagomedov took to Instagram to praise his cousin, friend, and teammate Islam Makhachev after his knockout win over Alexander Volkanovski.
"Best fighter in the world today. Love you Brother and congratulations @islam_makhachev," he wrote.
But it was what he said after that had fans talking.
"If you guys ask me where have I been? Why wasn’t I in the corner, I already answered this question, I don’t go to fights, I don’t go to the corner and I completely left everything related to MMA," he wrote. "I ask you to accept my decision the same way as my brothers, friends and sparring partners did.What our team achieved will forever be in the history of MMA."
Khabib Nurmagomedov reacts to Islam Makhachev’s win, via his IG pic.twitter.com/m1JQEr4gZ7
— MMA Mania (@mmamania) October 21, 2023
Stop asking Khabib Nurmagomedov when he is coming back
Nurmagomedov retired in 2021 after defeating Justin Gaethje in Abu Dhabi. But in 2023, he also retired from public appearances, including cornering his fighters.
"He just doesn't want to miss being a father," Javier Mendez said of his former student. "He talked to me about three weeks ago and told me of his plan and said he planned to talk to the team and inform them of his decision. He's doing this for the right reasons. He's a family man and he simply wants to spend more time with his family."
Over the course of months fans are constantly asking if Nurmagomedov will return and it's been confirmed over and over that he will not.
Nurmagomedov made his last appearance at UFC 280 in October 2022. In that fight, he cornered Makhachev as he became the UFC lightweight champion. aT ufc 294 Makhachev defended the title that Nurmagomedov used to hold.
Next. Khabib Nurmagomedov family tree. Khabib Nurmagomedov family tree. dark