When Khabib Nurmagomedov made the decision to retire on top of the sport in 2020, there was always going to be talk of what could possibly bring him back.
"The Eagle" never had the same motivations as most other fighters, and his decision to retire after his title defense over Justin Gaethje wasn't something that was a big long term plan.
The passing of his father and coach Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov meant that Khabib would step away following a promise to his mother despite being just one win away from the coveted 30-0 that his father wanted to achieve.
Regardless of recent reports regarding his financial situation, money was never the aim for the undefeated lightweight king, and it certainly appears that the UFC already tried this option.
Chael Sonnen believes that we could have seen Nurmagomedov back inside the Octagon if the promotion had switched tact with him...
Sonnen: UFC Should Have Offered Khabib Fights At A Different Weight Rather Than Increased Money
During a recent YouTube video, Sonnen suggested that the UFC was wasting its time by attempting to offer Nurmagomedov more money to continue fighting.
As he recalls, the promotion tried to keep him around to at least hit the 30-0 mark but "The Eagle" has proven to be a man of his word.
In Sonnen's opinion, the financial figure wasn't the number that they should have been offering the all-time great 155-pound fighter. He believes discussions about competing in a different weight class would have been a much more effective way to entice Nurmagomedov back for one last dance.
I have maintained for you that when those negotiations were going on and they were attempting to change numbers, they were changing the wrong number," Sonnen said. "The same reason that 30-0 became 29-0. It wasn't commas and zeros. It was the weight class.
If they would have had one more, sat him down, and really negotiated, and made it 170 pounds, you would have seen Khabib fight or at least, you'd have been a lot more likely," Sonnen added.
The champion never had particularly easy weight cuts, and if you look at his entire career, competing outside the lightweight division is one of the only boxes that he never checked off.