Khabib Nurmagomedov is officially retiring from the UFC and from the sport of MMA as a whole after his next two fights (Ali Abdelaziz). Nurmagomedov is set to fight UFC Interim Lightweight champion Justin Gaethje to unify the Lightweight belt sometime in the fall. So, this begs the question, who should Nurmagomedov fight in his last ever fight?
Georges St-Pierre
Georges St-Pierre is the undisputed G.O.A.T. in the UFC. If Nurmagomedov wants to be known as the best of all time, he will have to beat the actual best of all time. This would most likely be the most technical UFC fight ever. St-Pierre has insane wrestling skills, and an amazing ground game; Nurmagomedov has the best sando skills the world has ever seen and an amazing ground game. This fight won’t happen for two reasons though, St-Pierre is unwilling to fight again, and St-Pierre is not cutting down to 155. St-Pierre is 40 years old now, and “wants to keep his dignity,” unlike BJ Penn. It would be a great fight, but it would never happen.
Justin Gaethje 2
Everyone is so quick to say that Nurmagomedov is going to beat Gaethje that no one has even thought of what happens if Gaethje wins. There would only be one fight left for Nurmagomedov if he losses, and that’s a rematch vs Gaethje. Nurmagomedov is looking to go out as the best, and have a 30-0 record. Gaethje can ruin all of his hopes and dreams, not once, but twice. I don’t know what to make of the newly improved Gaethje, but I know he hits harder than Yoel Romero. Gaethje sparked Tony Ferguson for the UFC Interim Lightweight championship. Gaethje vs Nurmagomedov would be a great series for all UFC fans.
Tony Ferguson
I feel like I shouldn’t even mention the possibility of another Ferguson vs Nurmagomedov fight. They’ve tried to fight each other four different times. The MMA gods just don’t want this fight to happen at all. Still, this is the fight every UFC fan wants to see. The boogeyman Tony Ferguson vs the eagle Khabib Nurmagomedov. This fight can go many ways, Nurmagomedov could neck crank Ferguson for the win, or Ferguson can ankle pick Nurmagomedov. I would love for this fight to happen, but the MMA gods don’t want to see it.
Conclusion
I don’t see Nurmagomedov fighting McGregor or Porier again, and he won’t move up or down a weight class for his last fight. Nurmagomedov has the opportunity to finish perfect, a feat that not many can say they’ve done. If it really is the end of the road and not a cheap ploy to get more money, thank you, Khabib.