McGregor baffled by Khabib's retirement: 'You can't just scurry away'

Conor McGregor thinks Khabib Nurmagomedov's decision to walk away from MMA is puzzling.

The former two-division titleholder believes Nurmagomedov left many opportunities on the table when he retired last October as the reigning lightweight champion.

"How you could walk away at this stage is baffling to me, but each to their own," McGregor told The Mac Life's Oscar Willis. "There are so many amazing fights out there. Even to carry on around the Tony (Ferguson) situation. I don't care about nothing. You're scheduled to fight a man. No matter what, fights must take place. You can't just scurry away from bouts.

"It's been the hallmark of (Nurmagomedov's) approach. I was not surprised to see him walk away - or scurry away, I should say."

Since Nurmagomedov announced his retirement, UFC president Dana White has insisted on seeing if he would come back for one more fight, hoping the Russian wants to improve his professional record to 30-0. The two are expected to meet next week.

Nurmagomedov, though, has maintained he's retired, recently saying he thinks the winner of the Jan. 23 rematch between McGregor and Dustin Poirier will participate in a vacant lightweight title bout.

McGregor challenged Nurmagomedov for the 155-pound title in 2018 and lost via fourth-round submission at UFC 229. The fight produced the highest-selling pay-per-view card in company history.