UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov on Sunday, announced his retirement from mixed martial arts following his victory against Justin Gaethje.
Reacting to the shock retirement, longtime rival Conor McGregor took to Twitter to congratulate him. He said, “Good performance @TeamKhabib. I will carry on. Respect and condolences on your father again also. To you and family. Yours sincerely, The McGregors.”
Following his victory in Abu Dhabi, Khabib said, “Today I want to say this is my last fight. No way am I coming here without my father. When UFC comes to me about Justin I spoke with my mother for three days. She didn’t want me to fight without father and I said this is my last fight – and I have given her my word.”
UFC commentator Joe Rogan on Instagram gave Khabib the best of all time status. He said, “@khabib_nurmagomedov is THE GOAT.”
Khabib’s father and trainer Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, 57, passed away due to complications from COVID-19 in the summer.
Former UFC champion Daniel Cormier said, “Congratulations to the greatest champion in @ufc history. What a career, we are forever grateful for the time we got to spend with you my brother. 29-0 undefeated and undisputed.”
UFC president Dana White said Khabib is one of the toughest human being in the planet. He said, “What this guy’s been through, we’re all lucky we got to see him fight tonight. He is one of the toughest human beings on the planet and he’s the number-one pound-for-pound fighter in the world.”
