Khabib Nurmagomedov Discusses Turning Down Massive Paydays to End Retirement

Khabib Nurmagomedov claims he has never fought with money as his primary motivation.

Nurmagomedov, 35, hung up his gloves at his peak in 2020, retiring as a champ with a perfect 29-0 record. The former Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight king recently hinted that he has received multiple million-dollar payday offers to bring him out of retirement.

While Nurmagomedov admits it isn’t easy to turn down that kind of big money, “The Eagle” refuses to budge from his decision, one he claims he will never regret.

“When you’re the best fighter in the world, when you’re strong enough, when you have money, when you’re famous, it’s very hard to say no to all these things,” he told Daniel Cormier on UFC Fight Pass’ "Ultimate 30” countdown (transcription via MMAFighting.com). “It’s very hard. It’s not easy. It’s not easy [to] just say no to $20, $30, $40 million dollars. But for myself, it’s not everything. This is not most important. It was not an easy decision, but if I decide, I decide. It’s finished. I leave this alone. I am happy and I never regret my decision. Never.”

Nurmagomedov walked through the UFC lightweight rankings during his championship reign, leaving behind the likes of Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, Rafael dos Anjos and Conor McGregor in his wake.

Nurmagomedov’s decision to retire came following a Round 2 submission win over Gaethje at UFC 254, keeping a promise he made to his mother after the demise of his father and coach, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.

Dana White initially brushed off Nurmagomedov’s retirement announcement as an emotional outburst, insisting the Dagestani would return to action. However, White also came to terms with Nurmagomedov’s retirement with time as “The Eagle” remained firm on his stance, even recently walking away from full-time coaching duties.

No amount of money is likely to bring Nurmagomedov out of retirement, as the former UFC champ claims that has never been his motivation. Recalling a conversation from his early career, Nurmagomedov reminded Cormier how surprised the latter was to hear the purse he was getting paid to fight. However, “The Eagle” was unbothered, having had only one goal in mind since his childhood training days in Dagestan: to become a UFC champion.

“I told you [in 2012], ‘I’m going to be champion. I’m going to have 10-0 [record] in the UFC, undefeated, 27-0. And I don’t want to say numbers, but I told you for how much money I’m going to fight, and you [said], ‘No, this is impossible. Nobody fights in our sport for this kind of money.’ It was 2012, I told you. And after how many years? Like six years? It happened. I think this is about mental [strength].

“This is about, do you really believe in this or not? Because if somebody has a championship mentality, if you’re really a competitor inside your life, inside your heart, and you stay focused, you sacrifice all your time, success is going to come. This is just, you have to be patient and that’s it. This is what I was following all of my life, since I was a kid, I don’t even know [how young], like 2, 3, 4, when I find myself on mats. I was training all my life.”