The MMA world was taken by surprise when Khabib Nurmagomedov announced his retirement after UFC 254 in October 2020. At the age of 32 and at the peak of his prime, the undefeated “Eagle” decided it was time to hang it up.
At the time, the primary reason was the sudden death of his father and longtime mentor Abdulmanap. But apparently, Khabib was already feeling his competitive fire dwindle during the last few years of his career.
“For this sport, you have to be hungry. If you’re not hungry, if you don’t want really this, you have to finish (your career),” Khabib said in his recent appearance on the Full Send podcast.