UFC president Dana White has "abandoned all hope" that the undefeated former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov will ever return to the octagon.
Nurmagmedov retired from MMA with a flawless 29-0 record. He made the last defence of his UFC lightweight title against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in October 2020, winning by second round triangle choke.
Nurmagomedov promised his mother that he would not fight again following the death of his father and coach Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.
Since retiring, Nurmagomedov has turned his attention to coaching. He also purchased, rebranded and launched his own Russian-based MMA promotion, Eagle Fighting Championship (EFC).
And on any chance of a return to the cage, White told TMZ Sports: "I've abandoned all hope, so you should too.
"He's done. Believe me, I threw the kitchen sink at this kid. I tried to get him to stick around but I think he's done.
"He's sliding into this coaches role, he went undefeated in his career and retired undefeated, and now he's undefeated as a coach, too."
'The guy has had nothing but success, he continues to be successful, and he's moving on to that next chapter of his life. I think Khabib is done.'
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Ali Abdelaziz, the manager of Nurmagomedov, revealed that the Russian was offered a massive $100m to fight legendary boxer Floyd Mayweather. Even the UFC president White was on board with the idea.
Nurmagomedov could have entertained what would have been the biggest payday of his career, but he explained that in itself put him off.
"Of course money makes sense. But I never fight for money. Money is good, but most of the time it is bad. Money brings you to the situation that you have never been, and you don't know how to act when you have so much money," he said.
"It is a little bit dangerous. In this business, I don't come to make money. I come here for legacy."
Nurmagomedov initially called for a fight with Mayweather shortly after submitting his bitter rival Conor McGregor at UFC 229 in October 2018.
"Let’s go Floyd. We have to fight now: 50-0 versus 27-0. We are two guys who never lose. [But] in the jungle there is only one king. Of course, I am the king because he cannot drop McGregor but I drop him easily. Let’s go," Nurmagomedov said.
Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler would fight for Nurmagomedov's vacated lightweight title back in May, with Oliveira suffering an early knockdown to finish Chandler in the second round.
Dustin Poirier is likely to be next in line for Oliveira after picking up two wins over former two weight UFC champion Conor McGregor this year.
