16 May 2023 , 19:28
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Beneil Dariush is planning to lure Khabib Nurmagomedov into a UFC return if he is able to beat lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.
Former UFC champion Nurmagomedov has not fought since 2020 when he retired from UFC after defending his title against Justin Gaethje to maintain his unbeaten record. Many have tried to lure the Russian back into the cage, including UFC president Dana White who regularly stated his intentions to match him up in a rematch with bitter rival Conor McGregor.
Nurmagomedov then switched his focus to training Makhachev who has successfully made his rise to the pinnacle of the lightweight division claiming the title. However, he later announced that he would no longer train his protege and has taken a step back from MMA entirely on the wishes of his family.
However, UFC contender Dariush, who is expected to be in line for a title shot this year, believes he can progress beyond Oliveira and Makhachev to set up a potential event. "Ideally it would be Khabib [Nurmagomedov], right?," Dariush responded to The Allstar when asked who his dream fight would be in the UFC before the end of his career.
"He’s the best lightweight in the world. Ideally, after beating Charles [Oliveira] and [Islam] Makhachev, then I would have an opportunity to fight him, but obviously, I don’t think that’s gonna happen."
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'The Eagle' had a stellar career in the sport and is considered one of the best to have ever graced the octagon given his total dominance during his spell as UFC champion. Many tried and failed to dethrone him after he claimed the belt including Dustin Poirier, McGregor and Gaethje.
Khabib Nurmagomedov retired from the UFC in 2020 (Getty Images)Would you like to see Khabib Nurmagomedov return to the UFC? Let us know in the comments section below
He was even recently inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame for his stint in the cage, with many suggesting his dominance could have carried on for many more years. It almost seemed certain that the UFC star would retire, but MMA legend Georges St Pierre insisted the pair could have done battle if the coronavirus pandemic didn't take shape.
“Khabib at one point, I thought it was the only fight I would come back for,” St-Pierre stated on the Full Send Podcast. “Up to his last fight when he fought Justin Gaethje I was a commentator, french broadcasts, I was doing broadcasts. I was in Montreal, it was in COVID. I was stuck there, and I was doing the commentating.
"Everybody, including his entourage, told me ‘Be ready because he’s going to call you out’, so I thought I was coming out of retirement. I had butterflies, like ‘s**t’. Just when I thought I was done, they pulled me right back in. Then he won, took the mic, and retired. Nobody saw that coming, even his own people. They didn’t know that, I knew some people in his camp telling me that he was going to call me out.”