Khabib Nurmagomedov practices what he preaches.<\/p>\n
His reward is one of the sport\u2019s few graceful exits, and he remains an active figure in the sport, coaching multiple elite athletes from his massive facility in Dagestan<\/a>. One of those fighters is his longtime training partner Islam Makhachev, the former Lightweight kingpin who recently abdicated his post in pursuit of Welterweight gold<\/a> after defending his 155-pound for the fourth time at UFC 311.<\/p>\n Makhachev turns 34 in October, and for that reason, Nurmagomedov isn\u2019t expecting his career to last much longer. He targets retirement for his athlete within 18 months to two years, meaning we likely only have a handful of fights left to watch the Russian perform.<\/p>\n \u201cIslam maybe, my honest opinion, one and a half, two years because (his) age in October is going to be 34,\u201d Nurmagomedov explained in an interview uploaded by Ushatayka (via MMA Junkie<\/a>). \u201cNobody is going to be (the) same. When time comes, they don\u2019t ask what\u2019s your name. Of course, I finish when I was 32. I don\u2019t even begin because I have this situation with my life, that\u2019s why (I retired).<\/p>\n \u201cBut when you become 35, you need to stop doing this because leave this sport for young guys. When you become 35 and you don\u2019t finish, somebody is going to finish you. Why? It\u2019s better to finish. After 35, you\u2019re never going to be the same. People can talk whatever they want. When you\u2019re past your prime, you\u2019re going to fight only for money.\u201d<\/p>\n If Makhachev is willing to stick with Nurmagomedov\u2019s timeline, what is the ideal four fights remaining? Obviously, Makhachev is hoping for a win over Jack Della Maddalena to secure his second UFC title first and foremost, but afterward? An Ilia Topuria super fight is the obvious move, then his final bout or two wouldn\u2019t be quite so clear. For legacy sake, perhaps one Welterweight defense against whoever is most deserving would add the most to his resume, although a second Arman Tsarukyan victory would look quite good too.<\/p>\n