Khabib Nurmagomedov gets 100% real about Islam Makhachev's potential retirement timeline: "People can talk whatever they want"

Khabib Nurmagomedov recently shared his thoughts on Islam Makhachev's retirement timeline. The UFC legend made it clear that he wouldn't want Makhachev to overextend his fighting career by competing beyond a certain age.

Makhachev is widely considered among the best lightweights ever to compete in the UFC and has an incredible resume that includes wins over high-profile opponents like Charles Oliveira, Dustin Poirier, Alexander Volkanovski, and Dan Hooker. Given his resume, many have wondered how many more fights Makhachev has in him before he hangs up his gloves.

In a recent interview, Makhachev's manager claimed that he's far from done and intends to compete for at least three more years. However, Nurmagomedov doesn't believe his protege should go on for that long. In a recent interview, 'The Eagle' addressed Makhachev's retirement timeline and said:

"Islam maybe, my honest opinion, one and a half, two years because [his] age in October is going to be 34. Nobody is going to be [the] same. When time comes, they don't ask what's your name. Of course, I finish when I was 32. I don't even begin because I have this situation with my life, that's why [I retired]."

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He continued:

"But when you become 35, you need to stop doing this because leave this sport for young guys. When you become 35 and you don’t finish, somebody is going to finish you. Why? It’s better to finish. After 35, you're never going to be the same. People can talk whatever they want. When you're past your prime, you're going to fight only for money."

Daniel Cormier shares his two cents on Islam Makhachev's retirement timeline

In June, Daniel Cormier got honest about how long he thinks Islam Makhachev could potentially continue fighting. The former two-division champion believes the former lightweight king may have another three fights in him, including a potential Jack Della Maddalena title fight at welterweight.

In a YouTube video, Cormier shared his thoughts on the matter and reflected on Khabib Nurmagomedov's retirement:

''Islam Makhachev might have three fights, including Jack Della Maddalena. That right there is where our energy should be spent as Islam fans. How in the world does it feel like another dominant champion may be saying ‘It’s about time?'''

He continued:

''If Islam comes out and tells us ‘I’ve got three fights left,' we gotta lock in. We saw Khabib do it, and he never looked back. That should be worrisome to us as mixed martial arts fans. We have so many more fights we want to see. We want to see him against Jack Della, we want to see him against [Kamaru] Usman, and Ilia Topuria. It’s crazy!"

About the author

Nishant brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his MMA reporting for Sportskeeda. During his 1.5 years with the organization and previous work, Nishant has established himself as a prolific writer in the MMA community. With a Bachelor's degree in Media and Journalism and a Master's degree in International Relations, Nishant's educational background enhances his analytical and reporting skills.

Nishant admires UFC legend Georges St-Pierre for his dominance and exemplary conduct inside and outside the cage. The monumental UFC 229 event, headlined by a grudge match between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor, captivated Nishant and solidified his passion for MMA.

Nishant focuses on delivering high-quality content by giving attention to detail, and rigorous fact-checking via multiple layers. His dedication is evident in his achievement of publishing over 1.7K articles and accumulating 4.4 million reads in less than two years.

Nishant feels that it is only a matter of time that MMA takes over Boxing as the no.1 combat sport. Beyond MMA, his interests include philosophy, music exploration, and wildlife photography.

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Edited by Nishant Zende.