Khabib Nurmagomedov - trash talks and Quotes
Khabib Nurmagomedov didn’t just retire undefeated—he retired unbroken, unbowed, and unmoved by every temptation the fight game could offer.
At 29-0, the former UFC Lightweight Champion walked away from guaranteed millions, superfights with every marquee name, and the chance to eclipse records that will stand for generations. Why? Because he gave his word to his mother. In an era where fighters routinely break contracts, abandon promises, and chase paychecks over principles, Khabib Nurmagomedov ended his career the same way he dominated the lightweight division—with absolute, unyielding conviction. His words carry the weight of the Caucasus Mountains he climbed as a child, the spiritual discipline of a devout Muslim, and the ironclad honor code instilled by his late father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. When Khabib speaks, he doesn’t negotiate. He doesn’t posture. He states what will happen—and then makes it happen with terrifying precision.
The Voice of Incorruptible Honor
Khabib’s verbal style is the purest expression of Stoic Discipline and Religious Devotion the octagon has ever witnessed. While rivals like Conor McGregor weaponized psychological warfare through insults and theatrics, Khabib responded with something far more chilling: unwavering certainty.
“Send me location,”
he told McGregor after the infamous bus attack—not as a threat, but as a simple logistical request. Ireland, New York, Brooklyn, Moscow—it didn’t matter. The destination was irrelevant because the outcome was already written. This five-word text message became the most iconic street sentiment in MMA history, transforming into a viral meme precisely because of its stark simplicity. Khabib didn’t need elaborate callouts or staged confrontations. He needed only a time and place.
This is the essence of his public persona: Merciless Dominance wrapped in spiritual humility. He fights for legacy, for history, for his people—never for money or momentary fame. When he submitted Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 and immediately announced his retirement, the MMA world watched in stunned silence as he kept the promise made to his mother during three days of difficult conversations.
“If I give my word, I have to follow this,”
he said through tears. In professional sports, where athletes routinely “come out of retirement” for one more payday, Khabib’s adherence to his word became his most dominant performance. Five years later, despite constant offers and speculation, he remains retired—proving that his greatest submission was always over himself.
The Coach Who Demands What He Once Gave
In 2026, Khabib’s words no longer echo from inside the octagon—they thunder from the corner of champions. As head coach of Eagles MMA, he has transformed from undefeated fighter into architect of dynasties, guiding Islam Makhachev to two-division glory and positioning Umar Nurmagomedov as the next bantamweight king. His coaching philosophy is absolute: there is no freedom of speech in his gym, no 50-50 compromises, and anyone who smiles while losing will have “big problems.” This isn’t tyranny—it’s the extension of the discipline his father forged in him from childhood, the Dagestani code where the youngest is always wrong and the eldest always right until you earn the right to lead.
Khabib recently admitted he prefers fighting to coaching because as a coach, he can only use words and advice rather than his hands and body—but those words have proven just as destructive. Under his guidance, Team Khabib has produced champions across multiple organizations, dominating the lightweight and bantamweight divisions with the same suffocating style that made “The Eagle” untouchable.
“We are the best team, and I’m very happy. It means I’m doing a good job,”
he stated matter-of-factly at the World Sports Summit. Results don’t require embellishment when they’re absolute.
Why His Words Define Combat Sports Legacy
The lightweight division’s modern history is defined by what Khabib said—and what he refused to say. He ignored money fights to face the most dangerous contenders: Dustin Poirier, Justin Gaethje, and the perpetually delayed Tony Ferguson matchup that haunts MMA’s “what if” conversations.
“I just wanna maul people,”
he declared before UFC 242, reducing championship-level competition to its primal essence. And maul he did—27 straight victories before his father passed, then one final promise kept. He never bled in the octagon. He was never dropped. Most observers believe he never lost a single round.
The ghost of Khabib vs. Charles Oliveira lingers as MMA’s greatest unrealized collision: the undefeated pressure wrestler versus the most prolific submission artist in UFC history, the stoic Dagestani versus the illuminated Brazilian, discipline versus divine confidence. Khabib’s legacy is so untouchable that his hypothetical fights generate more debate than most active champions’ actual careers. His 2018 confrontation with McGregor transcended sport, becoming a cultural flashpoint about respect, religion, and what happens when promotional trash talk crosses lines drawn in spiritual sand.
Today, from cageside at UFC events, Khabib’s presence remains as intimidating as his prime. When he leans over the octagon to offer advice, champions listen. When he demands discipline from his fighters, they obey. When he promised to continue his father’s legacy by building the next generation of dominant champions, he meant it—and the results speak in the only language Khabib has ever respected: absolute victory.
What follows is a chronological timeline of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s most impactful statements, legendary callouts, and the words that prove why “The Eagle” remains MMA’s most uncompromising voice. From “send me location” to retirement promises, from coaching philosophy to legacy building, these are the declarations of a fighter who never lost—and a man who never breaks his word.
Khabib Nurmagomedov's Statements About Other Fighters
“You deserve everything brother”
– via instagram after Manel's UFC win against Royval
“Show me how to wrestle”
– via instagram in the comments section of an ESPN MMA Instagram post showing Conor McGregor giving boxing advice to Mike Tyson, sarcastically challenging McGregor's wrestling ability.
“My count is 56 former drug addicts, at my rehabilitation centers in Dagestan, that I treated. Come to Dagestan @TheNotoriousMMA, they'll take care of you here. Mexico didn't help you, as far as I can see”
– via X, responding to Conor McGregor's recent comments by referencing his past struggles and inviting him to his rehabilitation centers in Dagestan.
“You absolute liar. You will always try to darken my name, after you got destroyed that night, but you will never achieve that! Yes, good guys don't do that. They don't create exclusive digital gifts with real time value that you can share with your friends and family”
– via X, refuting Conor McGregor's claim that he scammed fans with digital papakha hats.
“If you ask me personally, I wouldn't want him to fight (at the White House). Why? I just don't”
– expressing his personal reservation about Islam Makhachev taking part in a potential UFC White House card
“One and only @islam_makhachev It was amazing performance Brother, today you proved that you are the one of the best who ever compete in this game. You make proud millions people around the World. Alhamdulillah for everything.”
– via instagram after Islam Makhachev's dominant win at UFC 322
“Our relationship is different. We have a brotherhood. We've known each other for 25 years, went to school together, and have the same coach. I'm happier for my brothers when they win than for myself. I want them to have all the world titles, not just one”
– via WEIGHING IN, sharing about his relationship with Islam Makhachev and their team.
“I think Topuria vs. Islam can be the biggest fight, not Jon Jones and Pereira. It's still a big fight, but not on that level”
– via the WEIGHING IN podcast, comparing the potential magnitude of a Topuria vs. Makhachev bout to Jones vs. Pereira.
“I think Topuria vs. Islam can be the biggest fight, not Jon Jones and Pereira. It's still a big fight, but not on that level”
– via the WEIGHING IN podcast, comparing the potential magnitude of a Topuria vs. Makhachev bout to Jones vs. Pereira.
“I want Islam to stay at welterweight because he just turned 34. It's not easy to be in one weight class all your life”
– shares about Islam future weight class via S Khalil
“My priorities are Usman, Umar, and Islam. These guys are my main priority. And when they're finished, I'm going to finish too”
– speaking about his coaching focus and when he plans to step away from the sport via S Khalil
“My priorities are Usman, Umar, and Islam. These guys are my main priority. And when they're finished, I'm going to finish too”
– speaking about his coaching focus and when he plans to step away from the sport via S Khalil
“Frankie Edgar, have some respect. Not only you former lightweight champion, me too. Have some respect, this is 45 degrees... I'm [the] youngest Hall of Famer in UFC history. Come on, not like everybody else”
– hilariously insisting the angle was 45 degrees while boasting about his legacy
“One thing is very, very beautiful in this [[MMA] world. When you don’t like somebody, you go inside the cage, you smash him, and they give you money. Outside the cage, if you do this, you go to jail. I was waiting for this moment so long, and finally I could not only fight, I could talk. I used this moment and I enjoyed it, like the way you go to Maldives and enjoy, same thing. It was my vacation”
– on His Fight with Conor McGregor
“Sometimes you use boxing separate, wrestling separate. When you use everything together: wrestling, pressure, boxing, everything [It will be tough on Gane]. Because [Gane] doesn't have this ability. He is a striker, he moves [well], he has good foot work... but when you use your punches and then takedown, it's going to be tough for him”
– advices Tom Aspinall ahead of his bout against Tom at UFC 321.
“So, our whole lives went side by side in the hall, helping each other to become better and stronger. Soon we will follow the historic second belt, and in the meantime, the work continues. 33 days before the historical fight in Madison Square Garden. See you guys in New York. @islam_makhachev ready to go”
Read all statements about Islam Makhachev
“He is one of the best to ever do it in Russia already. He is keep improving himself, keep climbing on top to be the best to ever do it. I really believe he has skills. Khabib on Magomed Ankalaev ahead of #UFC320”
Read all statements about Magomed Ankalaev
“When I grew up it was two, maybe three. Three of my favorite fighters when I was, 16? They was on prime. It was Fedor, it was Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua, and Georges St”
– Pierre. It was on prime. It was UFC, Pride champions. I grew up watching their fights. When I met them first [time], it was very big [and] emotional for me, because I grew up with their fights.
“When I grew up it was two, maybe three. Three of my favorite fighters when I was, 16? They was on prime. It was Fedor, it was Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua, and Georges St”
– Pierre. It was on prime. It was UFC, Pride champions. I grew up watching their fights. When I met them first [time], it was very big [and] emotional for me, because I grew up with their fights.
“When I grew up it was two, maybe three. Three of my favorite fighters when I was, 16? They was on prime. It was Fedor, it was Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua, and Georges St”
– Pierre. It was on prime. It was UFC, Pride champions. I grew up watching their fights. When I met them first [time], it was very big [and] emotional for me, because I grew up with their fights.