UFC Insider Puts Georges St Pierre & Khabib’s Struggles Under Spotlight to Defend Premature Retirement Decision

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s reign as UFC champion came with plenty of glory, but it also came at a cost, especially when it came to his weight. Naturally, a big lightweight, Khabib constantly pushed his body to the limit to make the 155-pound cutoff. Throughout most of his career, he managed to hit the mark, with one official miss back in 2013. But depending on who you ask, that number might actually be two. It now seems weight cut was the biggest issue, which forced him to retire at 29-0, feels former UFC fighter Chael Sonnen. 

The former champion shocked the MMA world when he announced his retirement at just 32 years old. He walked away after a dominant title defense against Justin Gaethje in 2020. For Khabib, the decision was deeply personal. He revealed that he made a heartfelt promise to his mother following the tragic passing of his father, mentor, and coach, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. But Sonnen doesn’t quite agree with the fact. He feels it was the brutal weight cuts that forced him to retire from the sport. ‘The American Gangster’ also named Georges St-Pierre in the list as well who was also the victim of the brutal weight cuts.

Red Corner MMA took to their X account to share the video that the former fighter shared on his YouTube channel. During the video, he said, “The only reason you didn’t get Khabib to 30-0 is you wanted to do it at 155 lbs. Khabib, GSP, and everyone else would have stuck around. All the guys you’ve ever seen retire would have done one more if you had let them go up in weight.” However, GSP, during one of his interviews on the “Pound 4 Pound” podcast, pointed out that it was rather gaining weight that forced him to retire from the sport. In 2013, Georges St-Pierre stepped away from the sport, vacating his welterweight title after an incredible run of nine consecutive defenses.  But four years later, GSP made a triumphant return.

Chael Sonnen claims that Khabib, GSP, and others retired because of weight cutting

“The only reason you didn’t get Khabib to 30-0 is you wanted to do it at 155 lbs. Khabib, GSP, and everyone else would have stuck around. All the guys you’ve ever seen retire would have done… pic.twitter.com/18KtFi4uDF

— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) May 17, 2025

In November 2017, he moved up in weight and stepped into the Octagon at UFC 217, where he challenged—and defeated—Michael Bisping for the middleweight crown. But his move forced him to call it a day after he developed a condition, as revealed by him during his conversation. He said, “The reason why I really retired is because it took a lot out of me, and I started developing a condition called ulcerative colitis,”. Many say that, more than fighting, it’s the weight cut that is a massive issue, and it’s pretty evident from what Khabib had to suffer. So why did ‘The Eagle’ have problems despite his work ethic? Let us find out about it below. 

Khabib Nurmagomedov and the real reason behind his struggles with the weight cut

Khabib Nurmagomedov was originally set to battle Tony Ferguson for the interim lightweight title at UFC 209. A dream matchup that fans had long awaited. But just days before the fight, disaster struck. ‘The Eagle’ was rushed to the hospital due to complications from his weight cut, forcing the bout to be scrapped. For years, the details behind the incident remained unclear. Khabib’s nutritionist, Tyler Minton, shed some light on what really caused the weight-cutting crisis that derailed one of the most anticipated fights in UFC history. The basic reason was that Khabib was constantly getting injured, which derailed his weight loss process. 

He said, “He was getting hurt all the time. When you hear from most fighters that miss weight, there are going to be some fighters that have a story of how they were hurt during camp and couldn’t train. And that was just Khabib a lot. He wasn’t able to do the extra stuff to train, he was taking all this time off to train. And a lot of that was that it really was.” There is no doubt that Khabib Nurmagomedov was one of the biggest lightweights in the sport. He may not have been the tallest in the lightweight division, but when it came to strength and physicality, few could match him. His size and power often sparked conversations about whether 170 pounds might’ve been a more natural fit for ‘The Eagle.’

And impressively, despite the brutal weight cuts, he only missed weight once. So was weight cut the real reason for him announcing his retirement? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. 

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