Khabib Nurmagomedov, arguably the best mixed martial artist of all time, is officially retired and even UFC president Dana White is ready to move on.
White told ESPN Thursday that he and Nurmagomedov met in Las Vegas, and that the undefeated lightweight champion reiterated that he has no intention of fighting again. As a result, the UFC is ending a lightweight title fight between Michael Chandler and Charles Oliveira for UFC 262 on May 15, according to White.
“Khabib is retired and doesn’t want to keep the split,” White told ESPN, via a text message. “Tonight was our last meeting and he’s retired.”
Nurmagomedov (29-0) announced his retirement from MMA in October, but White repeatedly said he hoped the Dagestani champion would fight again. Nurmagomedov defended the lightweight championship three times, against Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor.
Looking to the future, Chandler (22-5 years old) is a three-time Bellator MMA lightweight champion. He signed with the UFC in 2020 and made his promotional debut in January against Dan Hooker at UFC 257 on Fight Island. He got a first-round tie in just two-quarters of ten.
Fighting off Sanford’s MMA in South Florida, Chandler is 6-1 in his last seven contests.
Oliveira (30-8) currently has a streak of eight wins, including a dominant decision over interim champion Tony Ferguson in UFC 256 in December. The 31-year-old has been in tears since he shifted from featherweight in 2017, to a 9-1 record. He has finished eight of those nine wins with 155 pounds.