Joe Rogan praised former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov for retiring at the peak of his career, saying he admires fighters who walk away while still on top.
Nurmagomedov (29-0 MMA, 13-0 UFC) retired in 2020 after defeating Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 to successfully defend his lightweight title and preserve his undefeated professional record. Despite years of speculation surrounding a potential comeback, “The Eagle” has remained firm in his decision to stay retired. Instead, he has focused on coaching and mentoring the next generation of Dagestani talent, including reigning UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and rising bantamweight contender Umar Nurmagomedov.
During a recent episode of the Joe Rogan Experience alongside veteran referee John McCarthy and former UFC welterweight Josh Thomson, Rogan reflected on Nurmagomedov’s dominance inside the Octagon and applauded his decision to leave the sport on his own terms.
“I like when guys go out (at the top) like Khabib,” Rogan said. “They offer him a bunch of money. He's like, ‘No.’ Yep. Good. Did it. Done. Bye.’”
McCarthy agreed and pushed back against critics who question Nurmagomedov’s legacy because of his relatively short UFC career.
“And I hate when people try to rag him on it,” McCarthy said. “It drives me crazy. They sit there and go, ‘Oh, yeah, but you could have done this. You could have done that.’ Look at what he did. That's all you need to know.”
Rogan went on to highlight the way Nurmagomedov overwhelmed elite competition throughout his career, specifically recalling his dominant victory over Edson Barboza at UFC 219 in 2017.
“Look, he dominated people that nobody dominated,” Rogan said. “And he did it in a crazy way. I remember that fight where Barboza had that thousand-yard stare in the first round. He was like, ‘Oh, my God, this is never going to go my way.’”
Nurmagomedov retired with a perfect 29-0 professional record and is widely regarded as one of the greatest lightweight fighters in MMA history.
