Khabib on Conor McGregor's UFC Retirement: 'I Don't Think He's Finished'

UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is doubtful Conor McGregor will remain retired from the sport.

McGregor announced his retirement from MMA last week, but speaking at a university in Moscow, Nurmagomedov said on Tuesday that "I don't think he's finished," per the Associated Press (via ESPN).

The Russian added his belief that McGregor "couldn't reach a deal with the UFC, and it's so they feel they've lost him and they could lose money."

McGregor's announcement in March came out of the blue:

However, it is not the first time the Irishman has made such an announcement on Twitter.

In April 2016, he declared his retirement from the UFC having lost to Nate Diaz the month prior:

However, he fought twice more that year, beating welterweight Diaz in their August rematch before winning the lightweight title from Eddie Alvarez in November.

His only UFC bout since was his defeat to Nurmagomedov in October last year.

Nurmagomedov forced a submission from McGregor in the fourth round before the eruption of a post-fight brawl involving the two fighters' camps.

McGregor will be eligible to fight again on Saturday after he was hit with a ban by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for his part in the proceedings, while Nurmagomedov must wait until July 6 to become eligible again.

Following McGregor's recent announcement, UFC President Dana White appeared to confirm to ESPN's Brett Okamoto he would no longer be fighting:

However, in an interview with Las Vegas CBS8 (via UFC.com), when asked if he thought McGregor was retired for good, White said: "No. I think that there's some things that Conor wants, and I think that Conor wants to get together face-to-face, he and I, and we probably will in the next couple of weeks, and we'll get this thing figured out."

As arguably the biggest name in the UFC, White is surely hoping the 30-year-old will return to the Octagon.

He's young enough to remain competitive in the sport for years to come, and a rematch with Nurmagomedov could be particularly lucrative if he makes his comeback.