Khabib Nurmagomedov Says Retiring At 30-0 Will Make Him The Floyd Mayweather Of MMA
UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov believes retiring at 30-0 would be a great achievement, comparable to legendary boxer Floyd Mayweather who walked away from the sport with a perfect 50-0 record back in 2017.
‘The Eagle’ has established himself as one of the most dominant figures in MMA history throughout his 28 professional fights. Since joining the UFC back in 2012 he has looked as close to perfect as humanly possible. Nurmagomedov has dispatched 11 different opponents without suffering any real damage and rarely losing a round. The 32-year-old has beaten the likes of Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, Rafael Dos Anjos, and Edson Barboza to cement his lightweight legacy. He is now set to face another top contender in Justin Gaethje at UFC 254, where he’ll attempt to stretch his perfect record to 29-0.
Nurmagomedov told Kevin Iole in a recent interview that he likes the idea of retiring on top with a 30-0 record, saying the following when asked about his potential retirement.
“Honestly, I don’t know. 30-0 is going to be great. It’s looking good, it sounds good. 30-0, okay. It’s going to be a great record, this is like Mayweather in MMA. We’ll see, I’m very close to it.”
Nurmagomedov is confident his place in MMA history is already secured but he is determined to create a lasting legacy in the sport – first he must beat Gaethje this coming weekend.
“Who knows? Okay, I finish Justin Gaethje, I finish one more guy, I dominate him — I think my name is going to be always in history,” Nurmagomedov said. “I think already my name is going to be in history because two years ago what happened [vs. McGregor] is never going to be forgotten. Even after 50 years, people are going to watch this fight and be impressed. This is like when Muhammad Ali fought [Joe] Frazier in Manila. People never forget this fight.
“I’m already in history but I need legacy. For legacy, Justin Gaethje is a great opponent right now.” (Transcribed by The Body Lock)
Do you think Khabib Nurmagomedov should retire at 30-0?
