Rafael dos Anjos has claimed that Khabib Nurmagomedov will return to the octagon on one condition – to avenge Islam Makhachev if RDA can beat him.
Khabib has been retired for nine months now after his decisive win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254. Ever since then fans have been left to question whether or not he’d ever step back into the cage again, but in recent months ‘The Eagle’ has seemingly made it crystal clear that he has no interest in returning to try and reach 30-0.
Will Khabib come back?
Between his coaching duties and various business ventures it definitely feels as if Nurmagomedov is content with the manner in which he left the sport of mixed martial arts. However, as per his former opponent Rafael dos Anjos, there could be a way in which Khabib is lured out of retirement.
I just heard back from the UFC that Islam accepted to fight me Oct 30 5 rounds in Abu Dhabi and Khabib agreed to come out of retirement to avenge his brother’s loss after that.
— Rafael dos Anjos (@RdosAnjosMMA) July 22, 2021
“I just heard back from the UFC that Islam accepted to fight me Oct 30 5 rounds in Abu Dhabi and Khabib agreed to come out of retirement to avenge his brother’s loss after that.” He wrote on Twitter.
RDA has been scheduled to fight Islam Makhachev twice before with the contest falling through on both occasions, and it seems as if the former UFC lightweight champion wants to go for third time lucky.
dos Anjos has of course fought Khabib before all the way back in 2014, and on that night in Orlando, he was beaten convincingly via unanimous decision.
We can’t imagine Khabib would be tempted out of retirement to take on someone he’s already fought before but in many ways, you have to respect the hustle of a veteran like Rafael dos Anjos who clearly wants to stay as competitive as he possibly can at the top of the 155-pound division.
Makhachev, the man dubbed “the next Khabib”, continued his rise to the top with a submission win over Thiago Moises last weekend.
Featured image credit: Getty
