Khabib Dismisses Retirement Talk: ‘I Want To Compete’

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After a tough year for Nurmagomedov, there was a lot of speculation he might be preparing to retire. But it sounds like he’s just getting started.

Will Khabib retire once (if) he hits 30-0 in his MMA career? It’s a question even he has turned over in his mind a lot, given it was his late father’s stated goal for his son. But according to the 32 year old Nurmagomedov, talk of his retirement is greatly overstated.

This is what I love to do,” he said in a new interview with BT Sport. “This is what give me good energy. And I love competition. I really want to compete with high level guys in this sport. And that’s why I’m here.”

“I don’t know why people talk about my retirement,” Khabib continued. “Maybe you guys tired of me? Lot of media ask me about my retirement. But I want to compete. I like competition. I really want to compete with high-level guys. That’s why I’m here. All my life, I am doing this. And right now, I have a perfect opponent. He’s very tough, a lot of people talk about he’s going to be the worst match for me, but we’ll see.”

So of course the natural follow-up question is what’s next. And while Khabib continues to state his mind is on Justin Gaethje, October 24th, he did say what he wouldn’t do: move around weight divisions.

“I feel like I’m always going to be 155,” Khabib said. “I am a lightweight and I’m going to stay. I don’t have plan to move down or up. I am just focused on myself, 155 lightweight division. I want to be champion of lightweight division.”

Which means a superfight with Georges St-Pierre would have to go down at 155 pounds. Not Georges’ original 170 pound weight class. Not a catchweight of 160. 155.

“My opinion: if you want to fight, come and make 155,” he said when asked about GSP. “I am ready for him. After this fight, it’s going to be great fight versus GSP. Fans gonna watch this fight. UFC loves this fight. I really want to fight him and it’s gonna be biggest fight in UFC history … He didn’t lose 12 years. he didn’t lose 13 years. And I think it’s kind of a great history between him and me.”

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