"Could have got Khabib-Conor 2" - Chael Sonnen claims Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor 2 would have happened with one stipulation

It's common knowledge in MMA that Khabib Nurmagomedov retired from the sport owing to a promise he made to his mother. Chael Sonnen, however, believes there is more to the decision than meets the eye.

The former three-time title challenger maintains that one key decision by the UFC could've paved the way for a rematch between Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor.

After the death of his father, the late Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, 'The Eagle' only fought once. During his post-fight interview at UFC 254 after submitting Justin Gaethje, Nurmagomedov revealed that he had promised his mother that it would be his final fight.

Nevertheless, Sonnen believes it was less the promise and more issues related to weight cutting that led to his premature retirement. The Dagestani often struggled to cut down to 155 pounds during the latter end of his career, looking visibly drained at the scales.

Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more

As Sonnen sees it, had the UFC offered 'The Eagle' the McGregor rematch at 170 pounds, he would have happily returned. On a YouTube segment, the 48-year-old said:

"The reason we did not get to 30-0, and the reason this stopped at 29-0, had nothing to do with competition. Khabib was not scared of anybody... If you wanted Khabib to get to 30-0, and you wanted him to walk out for the 30th time... it was the weight class... The absolute No. 1 reason fighters retire... is that they don’t want to make weight anymore."

Sonnen added:

"The reason you didn’t get Khabib vs. Conor 2 had nothing to do with money or location, had nothing to do with a statement that was made or a promise that was going to be kept. Khabib, as an athlete, was done weighing 155 [pounds]... They could've got Khabib-Conor 2. All they had to do was make it at 170 [pounds]."

Check out Chael Sonnen's comments on Khabib Nurmagomedov's retirement below:

---

When Khabib Nurmagomedov revealed what troubled him about the post-fight melee with Conor McGregor's team

Khabib Nurmagomedov believes his post-fight melee with Conor McGregor's team at UFC 229 elevated the sport of MMA. 'The Eagle' is convinced that Dana White and the promotional brass were not even actually upset with the infamous incident.

The 37-year-old, however, was upset after the whole thing. Not because of the unpleasantries that unfolded, but due to a consequence he suffered. Speaking on the 2022 Hall of Fame edition of DC & RC, Nurmagomedov said:

"Only one guy was upset, me. When I went to the room, I didn't have my belt. I said, 'Hunter [Campbell], where's my belt?' He said, 'Brother, please be relaxed, I'm gonna bring you.'... I choked this guy out. Where's my belt? What is this? This is not fair, this is freedom of speech country, okay, give me my belt, I beat this guy." [1:19 minutes into the interview]"

Edited by Ujwal Jain