Renowned American Kickboxing Academy head coach Javier Mendez admits he believes Khabib Nurmagomedov misses fighting.
Nurmagomedov’s last pro MMA bout took place back in October 2020. He earned a second-round submission victory over Justin Gaethje to successfully retain the UFC Lightweight Title. After the bout, an emotional Nurmagomedov told Jon Anik that his fighting career is over. He cited a promise made to his mother that he won’t continue fighting after the death of his father, Abdulmanap.
Recently, “The Eagle” posted a video on Instagram of himself working out. In the clip, he asked where Mendez is and in the caption, he dropped his signature, “Send me location” line.
Some have speculated that Khabib is indicating that he wants to compete again. Speaking to Betway Insider, Mendez admitted that the former 155-pound king does miss stepping inside the Octagon.
“I guess you could say he wants to fight again – but absolutely not because his mother would have to give him permission before any of that. I mean, he misses training, he misses fighting.
“I took it as he misses being around me and coaching. Our relationship is more than fighting, that goes beyond fighting. It’s not a relationship like: ‘ok I’m done with my career, you know, my coach and I were just distant friends’. No. We’re family, we grew with each other. They’re family to me and we’ll always be in each other’s lives for the rest of our lives.”
Before you get too excited, it’s important to remember that Khabib recently said he has no desire to return. Nurmagomedov retired with a perfect record of 29-0. Throughout his career, he defeated the likes of Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje, Rafael dos Anjos, and Edson Barboza to name a few.
