Former UFC Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov Bids Goodbye To MMA

Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov will go down in UFC history as one of the best to ever set foot inside the Octagon.

Very few people in mixed martial arts (MMA) get to retire on their own terms, undefeated and as a world champion, and Nurmagomedov was able to do just that when he shocked the world and called it a career back in 2020.

Just 32 years of age then and still very much in his prime, "The Eagle" retired with a pristine 29-0 professional record, which included a UFC championship win, a pair of title defenses, and victories over the best 155-pounders in the world such as Rafael dos Anjos, Al Iaquinta, Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier and Justin Gathje.

Thanks to his seemingly impossible-to-replicate run in MMA, Nurmagomedov is already being included among the sport's greatest of all time, often being mentioned alongside names like Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva and Jon Jones.

After his in-cage career, Nurmagomedov smoothly transitioned into being a coach and mentor, helping fellow Russian fighters and American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) teammates to dominant victories.

Alongside AKA head coach Javier Mendez, Nurmagomedov compiled an impressive 19-2 record as a coach in 2022 alone, bannered by world championship wins from Islam Makhachev in the UFC and Usman Nurmagomedov in Bellator.

"The Eagle" also helped the likes of Belal Muhammad, Umar Nurmagomedov, and Saygid Izagakhmaev to impressive wins in the UFC and in ONE Championship.

Now, just as sudden as his retirement was as a fighter, it appears "Coach Khabib" is also calling it a career and stepping away from the sport of MMA.

The 34-year-old took to Instagram to post what seems like a congratulatory and farewell post to his teammates.

"Concluding the year. The year certainly turned out to be very busy and successful. Take care of yourself, brothers. I hope my decision is only for the best, a big hug to you all. Thank you, you were a big reason for my success in sports," Nurmagomedov wrote.

In an interview with Yahoo! Sports' Kevin Iole, Javier Mendez confirmed the former UFC champ's decision.

"He just doesn't want to miss being a father. 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," Mendez bared. "He's doing this for the right reasons. He's a family man and he simply wants to spend more time with his family."

Mendez also detailed that Nurmagomedov is a father of two boys and a girl, and has been away from his family for quite a while now.

As for how Nurmagomedov's decision will impact the team, Mendez is confident that the fighters have learned enough and will be just fine.

"Khabib learned so much from his father and from me and some of the other great coaches he worked with, and his guys have learned so much from him," Mendez said. "He instilled the things he learned from his father in the new generation and you can see the impact.

"Is he going to be missed? Absolutely. Will it negatively affect the team? That remains to be seen, but given what a great job he's done coaching his cousins and the others on the team, I think they're ready to move forward and continue his legacy," the AKA headmaster added.