Manager calls reports of Khabib Nurmagomedov staying retired “fake news”

Ali Abdelaziz has responded to widespread reports the UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov will stick to his retirement plans.

Nurmagomedov announced his retirement after he elevated his pro record to 29-0 with a submission of Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 last month. Despite that retirement announcement, UFC President Dana White has been adamant that Nurmagomedov will fight again.

“100 percent. I think there’s a good chance he does (come back),” White told TMZ Sports recently. “His father wanted him to go 30-0. Super emotional after that last fight. He’d been through a ton of sh*t. I think he will. Like I said, nothing’s done, but if I had to make a bet, and I am a betting man, I would bet that he does.”

Nurmagomedov, however, has since gone on record asserting that he no longer has a desire to compete, and that he intends to focus on other things.

“You can fight until you’re 40 but there should be a goal,” Khabib said this week (via RT Sport). “I had a goal to reach the summit and I got there. Further, I have no competitive interest. Next year I will graduate. I’d like to (build on) my thesis, do a masters course, dedicate more time to studying. I’ve bought sheep, I tend to my farm. I’d like to develop in this field a little. I have the bull calves out to feed, I have cows.

“I would like to take part in a place where I can bring a benefit,” Khabib added. “It doesn’t have to be big politics. Right now I can bring a benefit without being a politician, and that’s enough for me.”

While these comments from Nurmagomedov seem pretty cut and dry, his manager Ali Abdelaziz has called the resulting reports “fake news.”

Fake news https://t.co/j7Tg9kYDa1

— Ali Abdelaziz (@AliAbdelaziz00) November 19, 2020

Do you think Khabib Nurmagomedov will fight again?