UFC President: Let Khabib Nurmagomedov Rest … Whole Page

ABU DHABI, KOMPAS.com – UFC President Dana White asked the public to respect Khabib Nurmagomedov’s decision to retire as a fighter from MMA and UFC.

Khabib decided to retire after defeating Justin Gaethje in the main event of UFC 254 that took place in a very emotional way in the United Arab Emirates, on Sunday (10/25/2020) at the WIB in the morning.

Khabib retired with an undefeated record of 29-0, of which 13 came while fighting in the UFC.

Also, Khabib Nurmagomedov left Oktagon retaining the UFC lightweight or lightweight champion belt.

Also read: Khabib defeats Gaethje, Cristiano Ronaldo gives moving sayings

Khabib, now 32, had promised his mother that the match against Justin Gaethje would be his last fight.

Khabib made the promise because his mother asked him to stop fighting without being accompanied by his late father, Abdulmanap.

Responding to Khabib’s decision, Dana White couldn’t do much and decided to respect him.

Dana White also asked the public not to temporarily upset Khabib, who is currently going through a difficult time.

“I believe,” Dana White said when asked if she believed in Khabib’s decision to retire, as quoted on the MMA Fighting website.

“Let him (Khabib Nurmagomedov) rest. Let him recover,” said Dana White.

“Not physically, let Khabib regain his emotional side. He has experienced many things since losing his father,” added Dana White.

“I’ve been blessed before, we are all very lucky to see Khabib fight today,” said Dana White.

Also read: Khabib Nurmagomedov wins and then retires, McGregor reacts

The duel against Gaethje became Khabib’s first fight without being accompanied by his father and coach, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.

Before he died, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov’s health had begun to deteriorate and he had to be hospitalized since April 2020.

Abdulamanap’s health factor was one of the reasons Khabib decided to leave UFC 249 in addition to the corona virus pandemic that made air travel very difficult.

Khabib resigned and immediately returned to Russia to accompany his father two weeks before UFC 249 that took place on May 10, 2020.

Khabib was scheduled to fight a fighter from the United States, Tony Ferguson.

Khabib’s decision to resign immediately prompted the UFC to name Justin Gaethje as a replacement fighter.

Appearing on short notice, Gaethje beat Tony Ferguson in impressive fashion.

Justin Gaethje also has the right to face Khabib at UFC 251, which will initially take place in September 2020.

Also read: Reasons why Khabib Nurmagomedov retired, mentions father and promise to mother

However, the party had to be postponed until October because Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov passed away on July 3, 2020.

Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov died of complications from diseases like Covid-19.

Abdulmanap’s departure immediately hit Khabib, who was preparing to face Justin Gaethje.

At that point, it took Khabib about a month to let his father go and he eventually went back to training.

Despite having to fight without Abdulmanap, Khabib managed to appear dominant when he beat Gaethje and closed his career with a perfect record.