Khabib Nurmagomedov revealed the amazing offer he turned down and which would have allowed him to return to the UFC octagon.
It’s safe to say that Khabib Nurmagomedov will be remembered as one of the greatest mixed martial arts artists of all time.
“When you’re the best fighter in the world, when you’re strong enough, when you have money, when you’re famous, it’s very hard to say no to all these things,” Nurmagomedov told Daniel Cormier on UFC Fight Pass’ recent Ultimate 30 countdown. “It’s very hard. It’s not easy. It’s not easy [to] just say no to 20, 30, 40 million dollars. But for myself, it’s not everything. This is not most important. It was not an easy decision, but if I decide, I decide. It’s finished. I leave this alone. I am happy and I never regret my decision. Never.”
Khabib Nurmagomedov revealed he was offered 20, 30, 40 million dollars to continue fighting pic.twitter.com/VM7ODqkvu2
— MMA Mania (@mmamania) November 10, 2023
Nurmagomedov, 35, is widely considered to be one of the greatest lightweights to ever compete. A UFC Hall of Famer, “The Eagle” was victorious in all 13 of his octagon appearances from 2012-20, defeating a who’s who of top names such as Rafael dos Anjos, Conor McGregor, Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, Edson Barboza, Al Iaquinta, and more. His rivalry with McGregor led to the highest-selling pay-per-view in MMA history at UFC 229.
It’s safe to say that Khabib Nurmagomedov will be remembered as one of the greatest mixed martial arts artists of all time. His journey in the sport was truly incredible, and he ultimately retired with a record of 29-0. Three years ago, after finishing Justin Gaethje, he retired from MMA for good. Of course, that wasn’t the end of the story. UFC President Dana White did everything he could to try to bring “The Eagle” back into the UFC fold, but Khabib stood his ground.
7-figure offers for Khabib Nurmagomedov
During a recent interview with Daniel Cormier, the former lightweight king let the world know how much he was being offered to return.
“When you are the best fighter in the world, when you are strong enough, when you have money, when you are famous, it is very difficult to say no to all these things. It’s very difficult, it’s not easy. It’s not easy to say no to 20, 30, 40 million dollars. But for me, that’s not all. That’s not the most important thing. The decision wasn’t easy to make, but if I decide, I decide, it’s over. I give up. I’m happy, and I will never regret my decision, ever.”
Whether you’re a fan of his or not, no one can deny the impact Khabib Nurmagomedov has had on mixed martial arts. Moving forward, it’s up to his friend Islam Makhachev, the UFC’s new pound-for-pound leader, to continue making history on behalf of their team.
“When you are the best fighter in the world, when you are strong enough, when you have money, when you are famous, it is very difficult to say no to all these things. It’s very difficult, it’s not easy. It’s not easy to say no to 20, 30, 40 million dollars. But for me, that’s not all. That’s not the most important thing. The decision wasn’t easy to make, but if I decide, I decide, it’s over. I give up. I’m happy, and I will never regret my decision, ever.”
Whether you’re a fan of his or not, no one can deny the impact Khabib Nurmagomedov has had on mixed martial arts. Moving forward, it’s up to his friend Islam Makhachev, the UFC’s new pound-for-pound leader, to continue making history on behalf of their team.
