"He listened to his mother" - Islam Makhachev reacts to Ronda Rousey's bold take on MMA fans' love for Khabib Nurmagomedov 

Islam Makhachev recently shared his thoughts on Ronda Rousey's take on how Khabib Nurmagomedov is perceived by MMA fans years after his retirement.

For context, Rousey recently expressed frustration at MMA fans for having a short memory and for dismissing a fighter's career achievements after a loss. She also slammed them for not properly respecting the legends of the sport.

She then claimed that the reason Nurmagomedov still commanded immense respect in the MMA community was because the ex-UFC lightweight champion chose to retire early and hung up his gloves before reaching "his limit" as a fighter.

'The Eagle' notably retired after defeating Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in October 2020. Nurmagomedov later explained that he had promised his mother that he wouldn't continue fighting without having his late father by his side. In a recent interview with Complex, Makhachev addressed Rousey's comments and said:

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"It’s not true, man. Khabib is a great person. Who really knows Khabib, who is really close to him, they know what he did for the people, for his family, for everybody who is around him. He’s a great guy. Khabib can beat... like he can fight many, many more years, but he listened to his mother. And that’s it. But we need him to coach now. He is a coach. More than he became a fighter, now we need him in the gym."

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Ronda Rousey shares unfiltered take on Khabib Nurmagomedov being widely lauded after retirement

Ronda Rousey recently sounded off on MMA fans for turning against fighters after losses and for not respecting icons of the sport. Rousey also shared her thoughts on why Khabib Nurmagomedov remains highly praised for his achievements, despite retiring in 2020.

In an episode of the Bertcast show (via @themaclifeofficial on Instagram), Rousey claimed that 'The Eagle' retired too early to show any sign of decline and speculated that fans would've turned on him had he suffered a loss later on in his career. She said:

"I think the only reason why the MMA fans have their lips so firmly planted at the base of Khabib's c**k is because he retired before he reached his limit, and if he kept fighting till he reached his limit, everybody would be like, Khabib ain't s**t, he never was s**t... It's really sad because it encourages people to try and get out while they are peaking and taking all of that equity with them instead of passing it on to whoever is next."

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Edited by Nishant Zende.