UFC CEO Dana White recently reignited a long-running debate about why MMA icon Khabib Nurmagomedov walked away from the sport at the peak of his dominance. White suggested that Khabib became financially secure through opportunities across the Muslim world, making a return to competition unnecessary in his eyes.
“He hit Saudi, Abu Dhabi, Qatar, and they rained money on him. He made so much money that he didn’t have to compete anymore,” White said.
The comments came during a podcast conversation where White explained his belief that wealth and fame often remove an athlete’s motivation to continue competing.
He also laid out his theory on what separates a motivated champion from a retired one. “Once you get to that level [of Nurmagomedov’s fame], it’s like what we’re dealing with with Conor McGregor. Conor McGregor lives in a yacht in the middle of wherever the warmest place in the world is at that time. Once you get to that level, you’re not getting up and getting punched in the face anymore,” White said.
Khabib pushed back against the narrative. Responding on social media, the former lightweight champion firmly denied that money played any role in his retirement.
“I’m gonna say this: I swear to Allah this is an absolute lie, no one has ever given me these millions and the fact that they write that I quit sports because I earned a lot of money is also not true,” Khabib wrote. “The whole world knows the real truth – I’ve said it many times and there’s no need to repeat it. These are the headlines I sometimes read on the Internet, I’m certainly not a fan of commenting on every rubbish on the Internet, but when Dana says such things, it’s spread everywhere.”
For longtime followers of Khabib’s career, the real reason behind his retirement has never been unclear. In October 2020, shortly after defending his lightweight title, Khabib placed his gloves in the center of the octagon following an emotional victory dedicated to his late father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, who had passed away earlier that year.
Interestingly, White himself acknowledged that personal loss during the same conversation where he floated the financial theory.
“His dad passed away, which I think had a lot to do with him not wanting to do it anymore,” White admitted.
That admission made the money narrative even more confusing.
The discussion around Khabib’s finances and outside support resurfaced again recently when UFC lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan appeared on the PBD Podcast. While explaining the differences between how Russia and the United States support athletes, Tsarukyan claimed top Russian athletes receive significant government backing.
“If you’re a wrestler, for example, here government, they don’t pay money to you. But in Russia, we get paid,” Tsarukyan said. “If you’re like an Olympic team, if you’re Russian champion, you get paid money. If you win once in your life Olympic game, Olympic medal, you getting paid all your life until you die.”
He continued by explaining the scale of those benefits. “Can imagine if you win three times, you’re getting paid three or 4,000 every month for the rest of your life,” he said.
Tsarukyan then directly connected those claims to Khabib, alleging that the Russian government helped build the former champion’s gym.
“You got, even Khabib, he got paid for his gym. They built for him a gym,” Tsarukyan claimed.
When the host asked whether Russian President Vladimir Putin was personally involved, Tsarukyan answered directly: “Yes.”
Khabib again denied the claims outright.
“This is absolutely not true. No one ever paid for my bills or built gyms for me,” he stated.
While reports indicated Putin once expressed interest in helping fund a Moscow-based facility for Khabib, the project never materialized. Instead, Khabib personally financed and built a sports complex in his hometown of Sildi, while also paying for local road repairs in the area.
“Yes, we have a base under construction now. I’m building it myself,” Khabib said in a previous interview. “Around 80 people can train and live there at the same time. We are 70% ready.”
When asked whether the project was connected to a rumored government decree, Khabib dismissed the speculation.
“No, this is a base I am building myself,” he said. “And about that decree, I do not know in which office that decree is stuck. This is not a question for me.”
