Khabib Nurmagomedov said life as an active MMA fighter is like being in prison

• Khabib Nurmagomedov said life as an active MMA fighter is like being in prison.
• Nurmagomedov is currently on vacation in San Francisco, and said he will meet UFC boss Dana White.
• It is unlikely the retired champ will return to fighting as he has other business interests in MMA.

Khabib Nurmagomedov, the retired UFC lightweight champion, said Tuesday that life as an active MMA fighter is like being in prison.

The fighter is currently in San Francisco.

But rather than spend most of his time in the nearby American Kickboxing Academy at San Jose, Nurmagomedov said he is enjoying a vacation and not thinking about training, let alone competing.

"Since 2012, I just dreamed of getting to this city without preparing for my fight and without any diet, just take a walk and enjoy a good meal," the 32-year-old wrote on Instagram.

"The answer is that I seemed to be in prison. Alhamdulillah [praise be to God], how good it is not to be an active athlete," he said.

Nurmagomedov finished his career in October with a 29-0 record

The 32-year-old choked Justin Gaethje unconscious on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi last year, removed his gloves and left them on the canvas, and then cried as he mourned the loss of his father Abdulmanap who died after coronavirus complications earlier in 2020.

In his retirement speech, Nurmagomedov said he could not continue to fight without his father by his side, and said he had promised his mother that he would retire forever.

Three members of Nurmagomedov's inner circle - his trainer Javier Mendez, his manager Ali Abdelaziz, and UFC boss Dana White - released separate comments in the following weeks suggesting the fighter's retirement would be short-lived, and that he would compete at least one more time in the UFC.

Those statements were at odds with what Nurmagomedov has said and done since.

Earlier this year, Nurmagomedov reiterated his commitment to stay retired. "My mother is the most precious thing I have left," he said. "You won't push me to do things that will disappoint my mother."

One day after he compared competing to a jail sentence, Nurmagomedov posted a cryptic message about meeting White.

Standing next to the American billionaire Lorenzo Fertitta, the former CEO of the UFC, Nurmagomedov said: "It was good to see you, Lorenzo. Dana White, send me location."

It is unlikely Nurmagomedov will return to UFC to fight

While Nurmagomedov's message about meeting White may raise hopes he will return to ultimate fighting for one more bout, in the hope of advancing his undefeated pro record to 30-0, it is just as likely he'll be discussing other business opportunities with White outside of a comeback.

Even if Nurmagomedov vacates the UFC lightweight championship, he will long remain a powerful and influential figure in the combat sports industry.

In December, he launched his own combat company, Eagle Fighting Championships, and he also helps train and encourage other athletes. Khabib's cousin Umar Nurmagomedov, who he mentors, made a statement in his UFC debut in January, and Islam Makhachev, a lightweight, dominated Drew Dober in March.

"I don't even have plans for UFC in the near future," Nurmagomedov said recently.

"I don't even have any thoughts about preparing for a fight. I saw how Umar was preparing, and I thought, Alhamdulillah, I left it behind."