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UFC 300: Khabib Nurmagomedov's Coach Clears Air on Possible Blockbuster Return

American Kickboxing Academy's Javier Mendez shot down the idea of the former lightweight champion's return to the UFC.
Zain Bando|
UFC 300: Khabib Nurmagomedov's Coach Clears Air on Possible Blockbuster Return
UFC 300: Khabib Nurmagomedov's Coach Clears Air on Possible Blockbuster Return

With UFC 300 exactly three months away, MMA fans still eagerly anticipate the promotion's plan for a blockbuster headliner.

With champions Sean O'Malley, Alexander Volkanovski, and Sean Strickland headling their respective cards, the UFC has few suitable options to create a main event with star power potential.

One of those possibilities that won't come to fruition is a long-awaited return from former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, who retired in Jan. 2021 after putting together a 29-0 (13-0 UFC) run.

In a tweet posted by MMA journalist Helen Yee, Nurmagomedov's former coach, Javier Mendez, clarified Nurmagomedov's recent training videos and his purpose for visiting him.

UFC 300: Champ Reveals Title Fight on the Books for Major Event

"I'm just letting you guys know that, you know, stop all this nonsense [on the internet] regarding Khabib [coming back to the UFC] and me and him training," Mendez said. "There's been no such thing happening. We're not discussing training. We never have. Khabib is still devoted to what he said [about not fighting again]. He's devoted his time to his family. He's not working people's corners. He's not gonna ever fight. To my knowledge, it has never been spoken about."

Mendez revealed he and Nurmagomedov were getting cardio work in, and that was the extent of it.

UFC 300: Who's Fighting & Who's Sitting This One Out?

With Nurmagomedov now out of the picture, it remains to be seen what the UFC decides to do. Its 300th pay-per-view comes nearly eight years after UFC 200, headlined by Miesha Tate and Amanda Nunes for the bantamweight title and featured Brock Lesnar, Daniel Cormier, and Anderson Silva.

The event takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., as its final lineup is starting to come together.

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Zain Bando
ZAIN BANDO

Zain Bando is a writer & columnist for Gameday Media's MMA Knockout, expanding his portfolio as a Staff Writer for Dallas Wings On SI with previous in-network contributions around the echosystem. Outside of covering fights, Bando's background includes Big Ten football and men's basketball with leans toward Illinois and Northwestern with a broader league view for bylines including The Sporting News, FanSided, Men's Journal and others since 2019. Bando can be reached at zainbando99@gmail.com or via his social media accounts @zainbando99.

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