Khabib Nurmagomedov, arguably the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, has officially retired, and even UFC President Dana White is ready to go on.
White told ESPN on Thursday that he and Nurmagomedov had met in Las Vegas, and the undefeated lightweight champion reiterated that he did not intend to fight again. As a result, the UFC is finalizing a lightweight title fight between Michael Chandler and Charles Oliveira for UFC 262 on May 15, according to White.
“Khabib has retired and does not want to maintain the department,” White said via text message. “Tonight was our last meeting and he’s retired.”
Nurmagomedov (29-0) announced his retirement from MMA in October, but White has repeatedly said he hopes the Dagestani champion will fight again. Nurmagomedov defends the lightweight championship three times against Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor.
Looking ahead, Chandler (22-5) is a former three-time Bellator MMA lightweight champion. He signed with the UFC in 2020 and made his promotional debut against Dan Hooker at UFC 257 on Fight Island in January. He scored a knockout in the first round in just 2:30.
The fight against Sanford MMA in South Florida is Chandler 6-1 in his last seven games.
Oliveira (30-8) is currently on a winning streak of eight fights, including a dominant decision over former interim champion Tony Ferguson at UFC 256 in December. The 31-year-old has been in tears since he climbed from featherweight in 2017, with a record of 9-1. He scored eight of the nine wins at 155 pounds.