Former American Kickboxing Academy training partners Daniel Cormier and Khabib Nurmagomedov have much in common. Both are former UFC champions. Both are in the "Modern Wing" of the UFC Hall of Fame and have enjoyed the post-career benefits of successful title runs.
Nurmagomedov, who retired with an unblemished 29-0 record that included victories against Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje, vowed to his mother he would retire after his father's passing.
According to Cormier, Nurmagomedov kept his word, even when the potential money to return to MMA competition was insurmountable.
"I haven't really spoken to [Nurmagomedov] lately," Cormier said in a chat with Ben Askren on YouTube. "I don't imagine that he would come back [to the UFC] because, dude, we did a top-30 UFC fighters of all-time special [on UFC Fight Pass]. Khabib told us that he turned down $40 million dollars. He said $40 million dollars. That dude said $40 million dollars, bro, to come back"
Cormier did not reveal the deal's specifics, saying he had no prior knowledge of the terms. He did, however, say that Nurmagomedov's reasoning was obvious to those closest to him.
"He's trying to step away to make sure he's not taking anything away from the guys competing inside the Octagon."
At press time, UFC 300 is still being put together but does not have a concrete main event to top the card. The fights occur on April 13 in Las Vegas, Nev., marking another monumental UFC milestone.
Only time will tell whether or not the UFC legend changes his tune.
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