Islam Makhachev on Khabib Nurmagomedov’s return: ‘Why would I want extra competition in the lightweight division?’
Undisputed lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev has laughed off a potential UFC return for his trainer and former division champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov — questioning how he could deal with more competition at 155lbs.
Makhachev, the current undisputed lightweight gold holder and pound-for-pound number one, has been sidelined since he successfully defended the divisional crown for the third time, most recently featuring at UFC 302 in New Jersey.
And knocking back the charge of former interim champion, Dustin Poirier, Makhachev battled the Lafayette striker over the course of five rounds, eventually locking in a fifth round D’Arce choke, stopping the challenger in his tracks.
Expected to headline UFC 308 later this month, American Kickboxing Academy mainstay, Makhachev was forced from a planned rematch with the surging number one contender, Arman Tsarukyan at the flagship event in Abu Dhabi, suffering an unspecified arm injury.
And targeting a New Year comeback to likely rematch the Armenian next, Islam Makhachev discussed a potential comeback to combat sports for his coach and close friend, Nurmagomedov — disliking the idea of the addition of more talent an already stacked lightweight division.
Islam Makhachev shuts down Khabib Nurmagomedov return rumors
“No,” Islam Makhachev told Match TV when asked if the rumors of a return for Khabib Nurmagomedov were true. “Why do I need this? There’s no need for extra competition.”
Also putting an end to rumors of a potential return to action following his 2020 retirement from combat sports, Nurmagomedov confirmed fans would never see him compete inside the Octagon again.
There is no chance,” Khabib Nurmagomedov said about a potential return to the UFC. “Not even one percent [chance] — minus [percentage].”
“If you guys need champions, I’m helping my brothers to become champions,” Khabib Nurmagomedov explained. “We have Islam (Makhachev), champion. We have Umar (Nurmagomedov), next contender. We have Usman (Nurmagomedov) champion. We have a lot of champions, You guys never going to miss me because in our team, in our gym, we create champions. You guys going to [always have] champion [from the camp], don’t worry about this.”
