Khabib's Decision to Retire from MMA Was Driven by a Promise He Made to His Mother

After 12 years in the sport, Khabib Nurmagomedov announced his retirement from mixed martial arts (MMA) in 2020. The pro fighter shared his decision on Oct. 24, 2020, during a post-fight interview following his victory over Justin Gaethje in the main event at UFC 254.

Though it's been a little over four years since Khabib's last appearance in the octagon, fans still find themselves asking: Why did he retire? Here's what you need to know.

After announcing his retirement, Khabib revealed that a promise he made to his mother played a major role in his decision to leave MMA. He shared that he had vowed to her he wouldn't continue fighting without his late father by his side.

For context, Khabib's father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, tragically passed away in July 2020 due to complications from COVID-19.

"Today I want to say this is my last fight. No way I'm going to come here without my father," Khabib told the media during a post-fight press conference. "When UFC called me about Justin I spoke with my mother for three days. She didn't want me to fight without my father but I promised her it was going to be my last fight. If I give my word, I have to follow this. It was my last fight here."

Khabib retired with an undefeated record of 29 wins and no losses. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time and was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame on June 30, 2022. Additionally, he remains the longest-reigning UFC Lightweight Champion, holding the title from April 2018 to March 2021.

During his retirement, Khabib acquired the Gorilla Fighting Championship (GFC), a Russian-based MMA promotion, for $1 million. He later renamed it the Eagle Fighting Championship (EFC).

Khabib also became an active coach alongside American Kickboxing Academy head coach Javier Mendez. He has coached and cornered several notable fighters, including current UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev and UFC Welterweight Champion Belal Muhammad, as well as Zubaira Tukhugov, Tagir Ulanbekov, Gadzhi Rabadanov, Islam Mamedov, Saygid Izagakhmaev, and his cousins Abubakar, Umar, and Usman Nurmagomedov.

Although Khabib was expected to corner Islam Makhachev in his historic title defense against UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284, he seemingly retired from coaching and cornering fighters in January 2023 to focus on his family.

Despite this, Khabib made a notable return as a cornerman for Makhachev's third and fourth title defenses against Dustin Poirier at UFC 302 and Renato Moicano at UFC 311, as well as for Umar Nurmagomedov during his challenge for the UFC Bantamweight Championship at the same event.

Ahead of UFC 311, which took place on Jan. 18, 2025, Khabib hinted that his coaching career might be coming to an end soon.

"When these guys finish, I'm going to finish," he told ESPN about his coaching career. "I hope it's going to be very fast because I'm tired of all this. We were way on top of this game the last eight years, seven years since I became champion and you can even watch the team record."

He continued, "We have so many belts, we have so many champions, in so many different organizations, and all because of sacrifice. All these guys, they were with me, they were with my father when I was beginning. When I [finished], a couple of guys with me already finished. There are like six, seven, eight on a very high level, they're still there. When they finish, I'm going to finish, too."