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UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov officially retired from the sport of MMA on Saturday night.
The Russian superstar announced his decision following his second round submission victory over Justin Gaethje in the main event of UFC 254.
A visibly emotional Khabib revealed that he had promised his mother that he would not fight over the passing of his father and coach Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov from complications from COVID-19 earlier this year.
Khabib walks away from the sport with an impeccable 29-0 record and a future spot in the UFC Hall of Fame as a mere formality.
However, as much as “The Eagle” has accomplished in his career, he leaves the UFC with several high-profile fights unfulfilled.
Here are just five of those possible matches.
1) A rematch with Conor McGregor
This had to be the first on this list. Khabib and McGregor faced each other in the most lucrative fight in UFC history when they met in October 2018 at UFC 229. Their clash for the UFC lightweight championship in Las Vegas generated 2.4 million pay-per-view purchases, crushing all previous records.
Naturally, the UFC, and McGregor, wanted to repeat the formula and cash in on what would have been a great rematch. However, Khabib, who won his opening fight via submission in the fourth round, was much less interested.
It is no secret that Nurmagomedov did not care about McGregor personally, and had publicly promised that he would never face McGregor. Whether this problem could have been overcome is now a moot point. Khabib vs McGregor 2 seems destined to remain the rematch that got away.
2) Tony Ferguson
Speaking of fights that seemed destined to never happen, the Tony Ferguson fight was booked by the UFC no fewer than five times. On each occasion, for various reasons, the fight did not take place.
Once the most anticipated fight in the entire UFC, the fight lost some of its appeal when Ferguson was teased by Gaethje in May of this year. However, there is no doubt that a clash between Khabib and Ferguson would have been quite a sight. It’s a shame that now it never becomes reality.
3) Michael Chandler
Michael Chandler, a former three-time Bellator MMA lightweight champion, made the switch to the UFC earlier this year. The 34-year-old even served as a backup for the main event at UFC 254 and would have stepped in if Khabib or Gaethje hadn’t been able to compete at Fight Island.
Given Khabib’s dominance over the UFC’s current crop of lightweights, adding Chandler to the mix could have led to an intriguing showdown. As it stands, Chandler will now be eager for a championship shot that Khabib will vacate upon retirement.
4) Floyd Mayweather
Khabib became a mainstream sports star overnight when he defeated McGregor at UFC 229. Nurmagomedov’s newfound fame did not go unnoticed by the ever-opportunistic Floyd Mayweather, who immediately began campaigning for a fight with “The Eagle”.
Such a fight was never particularly likely, and it is even less so now. If Khabib decides to end his retirement, it is unlikely that it will be for a circus-style reunion with Mayweather.
5) Georges St. Pierre
Now if there was ever an opponent that could tempt Khabib to compete again, then former UFC welterweight champion St. Pierre is that man. The respect between the couple is well documented and a fight between the couple would be the very definition of a dream match. St. Pierre has not fought since November 2017, but was reportedly willing to return to face Khabib.
Nurmagomedov’s retirement is likely to end both men’s competitive careers now that the fight is off the table.
Throughout his UFC career, Khabib gave the MMA world some truly memorable nights. However, the list above shows that there is much more that we could have seen had circumstances allowed.
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