Daniel Cormier thinks it will take more than money to lure Khabib Nurmagomedov back into the octagon.
UFC lightweight champion Nurmagomedov (29-0 MMA, 13-0 UFC) hung up his gloves after submitting Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 on Oct. 24, but he’s yet to vacate his title, which has many questioning if his retirement will stick.
UFC president Dana White is scheduled to meet Nurmagomedov next month in Abu Dhabi, where Nurmagomedov will be cornering numerous teammates. Though Nurmagomedov insists that he’s retired, White is confident that he can talk him back into fighting.
But Cormier, a good friend and American Kickboxing Academy teammate of “The Eagle,” thinks White will need to come up with more than just a lucrative offer.
“I asked Khabib once, I said how much money would it take for me to be rich in Dagestan?” Cormier told Laura Sanko. “He said $5 million, and you’re rich for the rest of your life. Khabib has much more than $5 million, so I don’t know how much the money is gonna be the thing that draws him back into the octagon.
“Dana’s going to have to tap into something within his spirit to try to get him to fight again. … He makes so much money outside of the octagon at this point, that it would have to be something that would drive him competitively to come back and fight, because I don’t think it’s gonna be money that makes him go back to the octagon.”
With Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor set to rematch in a pivotal lightweight clash in the UFC 257 headliner, a new title contender could emerge from that matchup. But Nurmagomedov has continuously stated that he has no interest in running things back with either fighter, both of whom he submitted in dominant wins.