Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov revealed a staggering number to return to the Octagon.
Nurmagomedov retired in October 2020 when he submitted Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in Abu Dhabi to defend his lightweight title for the third time. It was a bit of a surprise, but Nurmagomedov said after his father died he didn’t want to continue fighting.
After his retirement, UFC CEO Dana White said he would talk to Khabib Nurmagomedov and see if he could get him to fight again. However, he stuck to his retirement, and speaking on the UFC’s 30th anniversary all-time roster show, Nurmagomedov revealed he was offered 40 million dollars to end his retirement and fight again.
Khabib Nurmagomedov revealed he was offered 20, 30, 40 million dollars to continue fighting pic.twitter.com/VM7ODqkvu2
— MMA Mania (@mmamania) November 10, 2023
“When you best fighter in the world, when you strong enough, when you have money, when you famous, it’s very hard to say no to all these things. It’s very hard, it’s not easy. It’s not easy [to] just say no to 20, 30, 40 million dollar. But for myself, it’s not everything. This is not most important. It was not easy decision but if I decide, I decide. It’s finished. I leave this alone. I am happy and I never regret with my decision, never,” Nurmagomedov said.
The number is shocking but Khabib Nurmagomedov was a massive star and he would have sold a ton of pay-per-views for the UFC in his return.
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s retired undefeated
When Khabib Nurmagomedov retired, he went out on top as a UFC champion which not many fighters can say.
Nurmagomdov retired at 29-0 and is considered the most dominant UFC fighter of all time as he barely lost a round during his UFC career. The Dagestani native went 13-0 in the UFC and defended the lightweight title three times, but likely should have been more as it took him a while to get a title shot.
In his career, Khabib Nurmagomedov had notable wins over Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, Edson Barboza, Rafael dos Anjos, and Justin Gaethje among others.
Although Nurmagomedov is only 35 years old, the Dagestani native won’t be fighting again as he seems set on retirement.
