Dana White says he has “abandoned all hope” of Khabib Nurmagomedov ever fighting in the UFC again

UFC president Dana White says that he has “abandoned all hope” of former lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov ever fighting in the UFC again.

Nurmagomedov first made mention of wanting to retire last October after he finished Justin Gaethje at UFC 254. At the time, Nurmagomedov’s father Abdulmanap had just passed away due to complications from COVID-19, and so White told the champ to take a few months off before making any final decision about his future. However, Nurmagomedov decided that he was at peace with his career and made the call to walk away in his prime with a perfect 29-0 record in MMA. But because he is still in his early 30s and has never lost, White has been holding out hope that he would change his mind about his retirement.

However, at this point in time, White realizes that Nurmagomedov will not be stepping into the Octagon again. Even though the UFC president would love to promote another fight for Nurmagomedov, at this point, White has accepted the fact that “The Eagle” is done with MMA. Speaking to TMZ Sports, White made it clear that Nurmagomedov won’t fight again.

“I’ve abandoned all hope, so you should too. He’s done. Believe me, I threw the kitchen sink at this kid. I tried to get him to stick around but I think he’s done. He’s sliding into this coaches’ role, he went undefeated in his career and retired undefeated, and now he’s undefeated as a coach, too. The guy has had nothing but success, he continues to be successful, and he’s moving on to that next chapter of his life,” White said. “I think Khabib is done.”

Have you accepted what Dana White has in that Khabib Nurmagomedov is completely done with fighting, or are you still holding out hope that “The Eagle” will fly again?