Khabib Nurmagomedov announced retirement after defeating Justin Gaethje in UFC 254 main event on October 24, 2020, at Abu Dhabi. The bout between these to MMA fighters was for the Undisputed Lightweight Championship. Khabib finished the match in 1 min 34 seconds of the 2nd round, where he defeated Gaethje by triangle lock. In the post-match interview, Khabib announced retirement as he does not wish to fight anymore in absence of his father. Meanwhile, let us take a look at career highlights of Khabib Nurmagomedov which include an undefeated streak of 29-0 to defeating Conor McGregor in most famous MMA fight of all time. Cristiano Ronaldo Congratulates Khabib Nurmagomedov After Russian MMA Fighter Retires Post His Win at UFC 254.
Khabib Nurmagomedov's father Abdulmanap expired this year in July at the age of 57 years due to the coronavirus. 'The Eagle' said in the interview that his mother told him that time to fight no more after his father expiry. However, as he committed the UFC 254 main event bout with Justin Gaethje, he turned up for the event. But now after finishing defeating Gaethje he will want to keep his mother's word and retire from MMA. Khabib Nurmagomedov Retires From MMA After His Win at UFA 254 Against Justin Gaethje Netizens Hail 'The Eagle'
Five Career Highlights of Khabib Nurmagomedov
1. Khabib Nurmagomedov is the only MMA wrestler to remain undefeated as Lightweight Champion after Israel Adesanya. The Eagle finished with the 29-0.
2. The newly retired Russian MMA star also bags the record for most takedowns in a single fight when he faced Abel Trujillo back in 2013. The eagle took down his opponent a record 21 times during the fight.
3. Khabib defeated Irish MMA fighter, Conor McGregor in UFC 229 on October 6, 2019, which is regarded as one of the best MMA fights of all time. The fight generated $17.2 million and had an attendance of 20,034 fans which is the highest ever in the state of Nevada. The event drew 2.4 million pay-per-view buys, the most ever for an MMA event.
4. The Russian MMA fighter on his retirement finishes at 2nd rank in UFC in the lightweight division just behind Jon Jones.
5. Khabib earned one of the highest guaranteed fight purses of all time of $2 million when he faced the Conor 'notorious one' on October 6, 2020.
The retirement of 'The Eagle' Khabib Nurmagomedov indeed came as a shocker to not only MMA fans but people across all sports fraternity. The legacy of Khabib in UFC will be remembered for ages. We wish Khabib Nurmagomedov a very happy life ahead with his family.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 25, 2020 01:37 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).