So, there was this video featuring Javier Mendez that got everyone’s hopes up. It hinted at a UFC return for Khabib Nurmagomedov. But, alas, the American Kickboxing Academy coach quickly brought those dreams crashing back down to earth.
Now, Khabib was the former Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight king. He left the sport with a perfect record after defending his title against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in October 2020. Since then, there have been numerous attempts to coax him out of retirement and endless rumors of a comeback. But, none of these have come to pass.
Recently, a video popped up on social media featuring Mendez. This sparked fresh rumors of a Nurmagomedov comeback. You see, Mendez, as his coach at AKA, shares a special bond with the former lightweight champ. In this video, Mendez says that Nurmagomedov only trains with him when he’s ready to fight. And guess what? “The Eagle” is currently training with him.
But hold your horses. Mendez didn’t confirm if Nurmagomedov would return. The clip was enough to start talks of a potential return at UFC 300. However, the AKA head coach has since responded to the clip, shutting down all talk of Nurmagomedov ever competing again.
Here’s what he said: “I’m just letting you guys know that, you know, stop all this nonsense [on the internet] regarding Khabib [coming back to the UFC] and me and him training,” Mendez said in a video shared by Helen Yee. “There’s been no such thing happening. We’re not discussing training. We never have. Khabib is still devoted to what he said [about not fighting again]. He’s devoted his time to his family. He’s not working people’s corners. He’s not gonna ever fight. To my knowledge, it has never been spoken about.”