Although Khabib Nurmagomedov is not sure about his fighting future, he does admit retiring with a 30-0 record does sound nice.
Nurmagomedov is set to face Justin Gaethje in a lightweight title unification clash that will headline UFC 254 next weekend.
Many in the combat sports world believe “The Eagle” is facing his toughest task yet in Gaethje. Others, however, believe it will be normal service and another mauling from the dominant lightweight king.
Should he come out on top, though, one big question is who he should face next to potentially go 30-0. Nurmagomedov has notably expressed his desire to face Georges St-Pierre. Other options are Tony Ferguson or rematches with Conor McGregor or Dustin Poirier.
A win in any one of those fights would be a great way to call time on what would be a dominant and unparalleled UFC career. But will Nurmagomedov actually call time on his career at 30-0?
“Honestly, I don’t know,” Nurmagomedov told Kevin Iole in a recent interview. “30-0 is going to be great. It’s looking good, it sounds good.
“30-0, okay. It’s going to be a great record, this is like Mayweather in MMA. We’ll see, I’m very close to it.”
What is as important as the 30-0 record for Nurmagomedov is the legacy he leaves behind.
He is already arguably the greatest lightweight in mixed martial arts history and is certainly in the top two pound-for-pound best fighters in the world today, if not the best.
And with an opponent like Gaethje, Nurmagomedov certainly feels a dominant win would contribute to cementing his legacy as the greatest fighter of all time.
“Who knows? Okay, I finish Justin Gaethje, I finish one more guy, I dominate him — I think my name is going to be always in history,” Nurmagomedov added. “I think already my name is going to be in history because two years ago what happened [vs. McGregor] is never going to be forgotten. Even after 50 years, people are going to watch this fight and be impressed. This is like when Muhammad Ali fought [Joe] Frazier in Manila. People never forget this fight.
“I’m already in history but I need legacy. For legacy, Justin Gaethje is a great opponent right now.”
You can watch the full interview below;