Khabib Nurmagomedov stepped away from active competition in 2020. Against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, Nurmagomedov announced his retirement as a fighter in the immediate aftermath of the UFC 254 main event, he revealed that the fight against Justin Gaethje would be it for him.
“Today, I want to say that this is my last fight,” Khabib Nurmagomedov said at the time. “Ain’t no way I’m going to come here without my father. After what happened with my father, when the UFC called me, I talked with my mother for three days.