"I wish him well but..." - Conor McGregor understands Khabib's retirement but claims he is afraid of rematch

Conor McGregor understands Khabib Nurmagomedov’s retirement but is claiming that Nurmagomedov is afraid of facing him in a rematch.

McGregor and Nurmagomedov have been at loggerheads for years, dating back to the time the Notorious Irish megastar first moved up to the lightweight division. Both fighters have held the UFC lightweight title in their respective careers. At UFC 229 in October 2018, Nurmagomedov successfully defended his UFC lightweight title against McGregor via fourth-round submission.

After coming up short in his bid to become the first fighter to defeat Khabib Nurmagomedov in a professional MMA fight, Conor McGregor has consistently claimed that a rematch between them would be very different than their first fight. Speaking to ESPN MMA’s Ariel Helwani, former UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor asserted that Khabib Nurmagomedov is afraid of facing him in a rematch –

“I think he’s afraid to fight me. That’s for damn sure… I know there’s surrounding things regarding the family and that. You know, if he’s retired, that’s it. I wish him well.” (*H/T Sportskeeda for the transcription)

OHHHHH MY KHABIB DROPS MCGREGOR!!!!#UFC229 pic.twitter.com/4rBF7QbRey

— UFC (@ufc) October 7, 2018

One of the most intriguing talking points coming out of these statements made by Conor McGregor is that McGregor acknowledged Khabib Nurmagomedov’s family issues. McGregor indicated that Khabib’s father Abdulmanap’s death is another reason behind The Eagle’s retirement. Additionally, McGregor noted that if Khabib has indeed retired, then he wishes the Dagestan native well.

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Is Conor McGregor right about Khabib Nurmagomedov's MMA retirement?

Khabib Nurmagomedov submitted Conor McGregor with a neck crank at UFC 229

Khabib Nurmagomedov is widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters of all time. The Eagle of Dagestan amassed an undefeated professional MMA record of 29 wins and 0 losses. He retired from the sport after his win over Justin Gaethje in October 2020. Khabib revealed that after his father’s passing, his mother didn’t want him to continue his fighting career without his father in his corner.

Khabib also pointed out that unless his mother permits him to return to MMA, he’d never step foot inside the octagon again. That said, it’s common knowledge in the MMA world that Khabib’s father wanted him to take his MMA record to 30-0 and then retire.

The vast majority of MMA fans and experts believe that honoring the promise he made to his mother is what’s keeping Khabib Nurmagomedov from returning to the UFC for one more fight.

KHABIB FORCES CONOR TO TAP! 😱IT'S ALL OVER!! #UFC229 pic.twitter.com/jcjjUQJw61

— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) October 7, 2018

With that being said, it’s entirely possible that the rematch between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov could be extremely different as compared to their first encounter. This is particularly true not only due to the age-old combat sports tenet of anything being possible in a fight but also due to the elite overall MMA skill-set and one-punch KO power possessed by Conor McGregor.