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In March 2021, the end of an era became official when Khabib Nurmagomedov finally convinced UFC president Dana White that his retirement decision was final and he would not be returning to the cage.
Many had hoped we would get to see the lightweight champion one final time in an attempt to reach 30-0, but Nurmagomedov decided to walk away on his own terms.
To celebrate his legendary career inside of the UFC, the Ultimate Fighting Championship announced over the weekend that Nurmagomedov will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame Class of 2022 later this year.
Nurmagomedov will be inducted into the Modern Wing.
In his final UFC performance, Nurmagomedov earned a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus for his dominant second-round, technical submission victory over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi.
With the win, Khabib advanced to 29-0 in his professional career. His 29 consecutive wins is 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.
Nurmagomedov became the first Russian to win a UFC title.
The submission victory over Gaethje was his third title defense. Previously, Nurmagomedov choked out Poirier in his second title defense. Nurmagomedov’s first title defense was a submission victory over Conor McGregor in October 2018.