Khabib will not return even if Charles beats Islam, says Daniel Cormier

18 August 2022

Former UFC double champion Daniel Cormier noted that Khabib Nurmagomedov will not return to the UFC Octagon even if Charles Oliveira beats Islam Makhachev.

A good portion of the fans is under the impression that Khabib Nurmagomedov will be tempted to make a return to the UFC if Charles Oliveira manages to beat Islam Makhachev. Daniel Cormier, in fact, pitched the idea to Khabib and apparently, Cormier got a cold response from the Russian superstar.

Cormier revealed the same during his recent interview with Niall McGrath and noted that Khabib asked everyone to leave him alone.

"I think it's done because the last time I was on my show on ESPN and I said maybe if Oliveira beats Islam, Khabib comes back. I go to the gym and he's like, 'Brother, please leave me alone. You guys keep doing this like, brother, leave me alone. I am okay in my life,' so I think it's done my friend,” Cormier said (h/t Sportskeeda).

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Charles Oliveira noted recently that he would be calling out Khabib if he beats Islam. A long list of UFC fighters and MMA personalities have come out questioning the credentials of Khabib lately as well with the likes of Demetrious Johnson and Antony Pettis raising questions about the Russian’s Legacy.

As for Cormier, he further went on to compare Islam and Khabib and noted that Islam has a superior striking skill when compared to the former UFC Lightweight champion.

"There's never been a person more dominant in one skill than Khabib. Khabib's wrestling [and] grappling [are] so good whereas Islam is a fantastic grappler and Islam is a fantastic striker, probably a more technical striker than Khabib,” Cormier noted.

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Oliveira and Makhachev will lock horns at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi and both fighters are coming into the fight on the back of impressive winning streaks to their name.

What do you think of the statements from Khabib? Let us know in the comment below.

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