UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is the latest mixed martial artist to respond to the news on Tuesday, March 26 that former two-division champion Conor McGregor is set to “retire” from the sport. Nurmagomedov, who defeated the Irishman when the two came head-to-head in 2018, appeared to take a shot at “Notorious” with a simple message on social media.
Nurmagomedov tweeted out a photo of himself with the UFC belt and the caption: “There can be only one king in the jungle. Only [one].”
https://twitter.com/TeamKhabib/status/1110490431916249088
Simple and sweet.
Early Tuesday morning, the sports world woke up to the news that McGregor was “retired” from the sport. The news came after an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon where McGregor had said he was working on a return to the Octagon in July. Instead, McGregor surprisingly changed his tune.
“I’ve decided to retire from the sport formally known as ‘Mixed Martial Art’ today,” McGregor wrote in a post on Twitter. “I wish all my old colleagues well going forward in competition. I now join my former partners on this venture, already in retirement. Proper Pina Coladas on me fellas!”
Nurmagomedov, meanwhile, had his most recent outing was his fourth-round submission win over McGregor at UFC 229 in Las Vegas where he retained his title on Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018.
With the win, Khabib advanced to 27-0 in his professional career. His 27 consecutive wins gives him the longest winning streak in all of mixed martial arts. Khabib first won the vacant lightweight championship on April 7, 2018 at UFC 223 when he scored a dominant decision win over Al Iaquinta in Brooklyn, New York. He became the first Russian to win a UFC title. The submission victory over McGregor was his first title defense.
Khabib Nurmagomedov Reacts To Conor McGregor's 'Retirement'
