I have 15 minute interview with @ufc President
@danawhite
that will air tonight on @CBSSportsRadio
at 8 PM Eastern/5 Pacific.Dana told The Zach Gelb Show on CBS Sports Radio that he and
@TeamKhabib
have been talking & he expects Khabib to return & go for 30-0.WOW! pic.twitter.com/UqAM19Y1SF
— Zach Gelb (@ZachGelb)
October 29, 2020
Sign up for ESPN+ right here, and you can then stream the UFC live on
your smart TV, computer, phone, tablet or streaming device via the
ESPN app. A retirement in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship and a dollar can get you a cup
of coffee in the morning.
Lightweight king Khabib
Nurmagomedov (29-0) put Justin
Gaethje to sleep with a triangle choke last Saturday at UFC
254, and he unexpectedly announced his retirement after the win. In
his post-fight interview, “The Eagle” claimed that he made a
promise to his mother to stop fighting after facing Gaethje, and
that he could not continue competing without his father with him.
Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov passed away in July due to complications
from COVID-19, and many expected that his son’s career may be cut
short from that. According to UFC President Dana
White on The Zach
Gelb Show on CBS Sports Radio on Thursday, that might not be
the case after all.
“No…nobody knew, not even his coach…nobody knew,” answered White
when asked if he was aware of Nurmagomedov’s sudden retirement.
Gelb then asked how White processed the news, and the UFC head
responded with a laugh, “I wasn’t. I was sittin’ there going ‘oh my
god, you gotta be kidding me.’ But I’ll tell you this, and I
haven’t told anybody this yet…Khabib and I have been talking. And,
you know, he was completely emotional that night, you know, when he
got through that fight.”
“I have a feeling that he might go for 30-0,” White admitted. When
prompted to reiterate what he just stated, White continued, “I do
[believe Nurmagomedov will return]. I think that he’s not gonna
retire. You know, his dad wanted him to get to 30-0, and I think he
wants to honor his dad’s wish.”
While a few fighters throughout MMA history have amassed a record
of 30-0, none have been able to retain that undefeated stretch and
retire without losing. Of note, Julio
Cesar Neves Jr. and Luis
Rafael Laurentino both reached those dazzling totals only to
lose in subsequent bouts. Courtesy of a blistering pace in 2001 to
2002 and some favorable matchups in promotions like Iowa Challenge
and Extreme Challenge, John Strawn
reached 29-0 only to lose to Jake Hudson
in 2003 when his corner threw in the towel. Should Nurmagomedov
return and win once more, he would enter the history books that few
could dare to imagine.
