Dana White told to 'let Khabib Nurmagomedov enjoy his retirement'
UFC chief Dana White told to ‘let Khabib Nurmagomedov enjoy his retirement’ and allow the ‘lightweight division to move on’ by rising star Kevin Lee… despite clamour from fans for him to return to the octagon
- Kevin Lee has urged Dana White to let Khabib Nurmagomedov enjoy retirement
- Lee says the lightweight division will benefit from a new champion be crowned
- He claims there are plenty of ‘fun and exciting’ contenders ready to compete
- However, White will not stop trying to convince Khabib until he says to stop
Kevin Lee has urged UFC chief Dana White to let Khabib Nurmagomedov enjoy his retirement from mixed martial arts.
The reigning lightweight champion announced his retirement sport just seconds after defeating No 1 challenger Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in October.
However, White is eager to see Khabib return to competition to achieve 30-0 despite promising his mother he would walk away after his third title defence following the death of his father.
UFC fighter Kevin has urged Dana White to let Khabib Nurmagomedov enjoy his retirement
UFC lightweight fighter Lee believes UFC chiefs should give Khabib space to enjoy his time away from the sport and allow the lightweight division to move on.
He told MMA Junkie: ‘I think they (UFC) should go ahead and let the man retire. Let him retire, let him retire and enjoy himself a little bit.
‘Let him take his mind off the game and let the game miss him a little bit.
‘And when he does come back, it’ll make for even a bigger fight and one that he’s looking for as a final retirement fight.’
Khabib announced his retirement after defeating Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in October
Lee believes White should give Khabib some space and that it would benefit the division
The UFC president has, however, refused to give up on his hope of convincing Khabib to return to the octagon.
He also dismissed claims that he should leave Khabib alone, saying he will only stop when the lightweight champion tells him to.
He said: ‘It is not going to happen. Not going to happen. Until Khabib says ‘leave me alone, leave me alone. Stop asking me, I am done’. He is not saying that, has he said that?’
Lee is one of the top-15 lightweights in the world and is eager to win the belt that Khabib currently occupies.
As a result, Lee has urged Khabib to vacate his title and allow other ‘contenders to move on’ while he makes a decision about his future.
However, White has said he will not stop trying until Khabib tells him directly to stop
Lee believes the absence of Khabib will also make the division more ‘exciting’ and ‘fun’ as he insists the competition is ‘going to end up being better.’
He said: ‘[It] adds a lot to the game, that’s for sure. It makes it exciting. It makes it a little more fun, and I think overall it’s going to end up being better.
‘I think he’ll sell more pay-per-views when he does come back.’
‘I just think overall it’s just going to be better. Let him have some time and let the division move on.
‘There’s enough contenders and guys out there. Let us move on, let us crown the next champ.
‘Give me my belt, and then we’ll talk about Khabib later.’
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