Khabib Nurmagomedov believes that it is time for Frankie Edgar to call it a career.
At UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Volkov, Frankie Edgar competed in a bout that could have very well earned him a world title shot with a victory when he took on Cory Sandhagen in the co-main event. Instead, there are talks about whether or not he should ever fight again after the vicious knockout he suffered 28 seconds into the fight.
Khabib Shares His Opinion On Why Frankie Edgar Should Retire
Edgar has shot down any considerations of retiring, but fellow Dominance MMA member and current pound-for-pound #1 fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov believes that others should intervene and convince him to step away for Edgar’s sake as well as his family’s.
“I understand it. I texted Ali (Abdelaziz) right away to find out how Frankie was because it was a hard knockout,” Khabib said in a recent media scrum as transcribed by RT Sport. “I know Frankie, I know his kids, his family. Of course, I feel for him. Sometimes I just put myself in his place, to get knocked out like this, especially when your kids can see it. And his kids are 7-8 years old, do wrestling themselves. They even compete already. That’s tough.
“I wouldn’t like to see my friends get knocked out like that. It’s not right to compete at that weight class at his age. There must be some close ones around to tell him it’s enough. Yes, we all want to earn money, but there are some more ways to do it.”
Khabib Nurmagomedov is currently 32 years old and no doubt in his physical prime right now. But as a champion who has achieved all his goals, he feels content in walking away and taking his gifts away from the sport prematurely. Meanwhile, Frankie Edgar is pushing 40 and has lost three of his last four fights, yet has no plans to walk away.
This contrast in career timelines demonstrates that it’s up to each individual to decide when it’s best for them to walk away. Still, Khabib believes that Edgar needs to be reminded about the win-loss record of Father Time before he continues fighting.
“Your age doesn’t care about your name,” Khabib said. “When the game gets ahead of you, you should just stop.”
Do you agree with Khabib? Should Frankie Edgar retire now before taking any additional damage at this stage of his life?
