Khabib Nurmagomedov 'Smart' to walk off on own terms and not UFC's: Georges St-Pierre

Former UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre said that the UFC officials are keen on bringing Khabib Nurmagomedov back to the octagon because "they don't want to see him leave on his own terms". GSP is one of the few stars who walked away from MMA at the top of their careers, announcing retirement just weeks after defeating Michael Bisping to win the middleweight title.

Given his past back-and-forth with the promotion about retirement, Georges St-Pierre says he knows exactly why Dana White is so adamant on bringing Nurmagomedov back for one last run, despite the Eagle announcing his retirement almost five months ago. The lightweight champion confirmed his decision to hang his gloves immediately after defeating former interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje at the main event of UFC 254 on Fight Island last October.

Khabib Nurmagomedov cited the passing of his influential father, Abdulmanap, as the main reason behind his decision, also adding that he made a promise to his mother that the Gaethje fight would be his last. Since then, the UFC boss has stated that Khabib made the announcement in the heat of the moment, asking him to return. The two have even met twice to discuss the topic, with Nurmagomedov sticking to his decision until now.  

Khabib Nurmagomedov next fight: GSP on Khabib’s retirement

However, St-Pierre says that the UFC's desire to bring Khabib Nurmagomedov back is not motivated by seeing him break more records or maul major opponents, but to see him lose his title to someone else in the lightweight division. While talking to ESPN, Georges St-Pierre not just slammed UFC, but also praised Nurmagomedov for sticking to his decision.

“They don’t want him to leave on his terms, they want a guy to beat him, then after they gonna be like, ‘Okay, now you can leave'. But Khabib is smart, I think he’s very smart, he left on top, and there’s nothing wrong with that,” GSP added.

Khabib Nurmagomedov next fight: Khabib officially retires

Just a day after Georges St-Pierre made these comments, Dana White took to Twitter and confirmed Khabib’s retirement, hinting that he’s given up on chasing the lightweight king. Taking to social media, White thanked Khabib Nurmagomedov for ‘everything’, while sharing a selfie of him with the champion. Later, UFC announced that Newcomer Michael Chandler and Brazilian Charles Oliveira will collide for the soon to be vacant title at UFC 262 on May 15.

Image Source: Georges St-Pierre, Khabib Nurmagomedov/ Instagram