Khabib Nurmagomedov doesn’t understand constant questions about retirement: ‘I want to compete’

UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov does not understand why he is constantly being asked about his retirement plans.

Nurmagomedov will look to go 29-0 when he faces Justin Gaethje in a lightweight title unification bout in the main event of UFC 254 on Saturday.

However, many are already asking “The Eagle” who he wants to face afterward and whether he would retire with a potential 30-0 record. Although he didn’t know the answer, the Dagestan native did admit that retiring with a 30-0 record was enticing and would make him like the Floyd Mayweather of mixed martial arts.

The questions about his retirement and who his final opponent would be haven’t stopped since, though, and in a recent interview with BT Sport, Nurmagomedov revealed that he still had plans to compete for a while.

“I don’t know why people talk about my retirement. Maybe you guys are tired of me?” Nurmagomedov said while smiling. “A 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.

“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.”

Given that Nurmagomedov only turned 32 last month, he still has plenty of time left in the sport if he does plan on competing for a while.

And with his added emphasis on legacy in the buildup to UFC 254, that could mean him defending his lightweight title more than a couple of times in the future.