Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier is the reason Khabib Nurmagomedov didn't return, says coach

Conor McGregor's clash with Dustin Poirier in 2021 seems to be why Khabib Nurmagomedov never returned to the octagon.

Nurmagomedov was last seen in the octagon back in 2020 following his win over Justin Gaethje with a perfect record of 29-0. However, there was a chance that he could come back. According to his coach Javier Mendez, 'The Eagle' was being drug tested for eight months even after retiring and was open to returning if he saw "something spectacular" from Conor McGregor or Dustin Poirier in their January 2021 matchup.

While speaking to Grosvenor Sport, Javier Mendes had this to say (H/T The Sun):

"He was roughly tested for about eight months before he had enough. The UFC were trying to get him to come back and he came close. You saw it when we were in Abu Dhabi. He said, 'If someone shows me something spectacular then maybe I'll come back.'"

He added:

"It was Conor vs. Poirier that night, but it did not get Khabib excited. He said if something excited him on that card then maybe he'd consider it. But it never happened. The UFC was pushing him, but nothing excited him, so it was [a] no go."

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UFC ring girl recalls the brawl after Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229

Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov's storied rivalry saw them lock horns at UFC 229 in 2018. In what was indeed a spectacle, 'The Eagle' came out on top with a fourth-round submission victory, but what unfolded next was something no one saw coming as a massive brawl broke out after Nurmagomedov jumped over the cage and attacked McGregor's team.

Speaking of the same during an appearance on the UNLEASHED podcast earlier this year, Arianny Celeste recalled how the ring girls rushed towards the dressing room as the incident unfolded. She said:

“It was crazy, I just looked at the girls and I was like go, we need to go now. Brooklyn stayed packed she’s like what’s going on um but yeah, we just started running for the um the dressing room there’s also like security right behind us that was like pushing us to go, so we were fine.”

Catch her comments in the video below (41:58):