Khabib Nurmagomedov, arguably the greatest mixed martial artist of all time, has officially retired, and even UFC President Dana White is ready to move on.
White told ESPN on Thursday that he and Nurmagomedov met in Las Vegas, and the undefeated lightweight champion reiterated that he has no plans to fight again. As a result, the UFC will complete a lightweight title fight between Michael Chandler and Charles Oliveira for UFC 262 on May 15, White said.
“Khabib is retired and does not want to stop the division,” White told ESPN via text message. “Tonight was our last meeting and he is retired.”
Nurmagomedov (29-0) announced his retirement from MMA in October, but White said repeatedly that he hoped the Dagestan champion would fight again. Nurmagomedov defended 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 in January at UFC 257 on Fight Island. He scored a knockout in the first round in just 2:30.
Chandler fights for Sanford MMA in South Florida and is 6-1 in his past seven games.
Oliveira (30-8) currently has eight wins, including a dominant decision over former interim champion Tony Ferguson at UFC 256 in December. The 31-year-old has shed a tear since moving up from featherweight in 2017, with a record of 9-1. He’s racked up eight of those nine wins at 155 pounds.