Khabib Nurmagomedov addresses retirement talk ahead of Conor McGregor brawl hearing
KHABIB NURMAGOMEDOV has poured cold water on talk of him retiring from mixed martial arts, although he's revealed the thought has crossed his mind.
Nurmagomedov suggested he could walk away from mixed martial arts following his UFC 229 victory over Conor McGregor, which saw him retain his lightweight title with a fourth-round submission victory.
Talk of the undefeated Russian retiring after his first title defence was doing the rounds before his grudge match with 'The Notorious', who he submitted with a brutal neck crank.
The Dagestan native has no intention of calling time on his career any time soon but has admitted he wants to hang up his gloves with his unbeaten record still intact.
“To me, every fight is the last fight,” Russia’s first UFC belt holder said at a press conference earlier this week.
“I feel that in every fight, and then they start calling you and you start getting ready. I have been thinking about it, I’m 30.
“Life goes on and I don’t want to be beaten. You have to live when you’re on top, and it’s not just me saying this.
“It’s always been like this.
“When you’re at your peak, you can never get back to your top form. But for right now, I’m okay. I can go on.”
I have been thinking about it, I’m 30
Before Nurmagomedov can next set foot inside the Octagon, he must first learn his punishment from the Nevada State Athletic Commission for his part in the brawl which followed his emphatic victory over McGregor.
Nurmagomedov is currently serving a temporary suspension, as is McGregor, and is due to attend a disciplinary hearing on December 10.
‘The Eagle’ initially claimed he wouldn’t attend the hearing, saying: "I'm not going to Vegas for the court.
"I am not guilty. I just defended my family and my religion.
"If they want to punish me, they can get all the money I earn. They can give me 10 years ban. I don’t care."
However, a few weeks after being adamant he won’t be at the hearing, Nurmagomedov has appeared to have changed his tune.
When asked if he plans to show up for the inquest into the melee, which he started by scaling the cage and attempting to dropkick McGregor’s team-mate Dillon Danis, Nurmagomedov said: “Let’s wait for December 10, that’s all.”
The UFC brass won’t make a decision on the future of the division until both men are reprimanded for their actions at the T-Mobile Arena.
"We're on the Nevada State Athletic Commission's time now," UFC president Dana White told Express Sport during the UFC 230 post-fight press conference.
"We're waiting until November... or December. Whenever that thing is.
"And when that thing plays out, then we'll know where we sit and then we'll know what's next."
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