"I’ve abandoned all hope, so you should too. [Khabib's] done. Believe me, I threw the kitchen sink at this kid, tried to get him to stick around and I think he’s done."
That's UFC president Dana White completely shutting the door on a Khabib return, telling TMZ Sports despite rumors swirling the undefeated fighter misses the sport, it simply ain't happening.
"I think he’s sliding into this coach’s role. You know, he went undefeated in his career and retired undefeated, and now he’s undefeated as a coach too. So, the guy has had nothing but success, he continues to be successful, and I think he’s moving on to that next chapter of his life."
But, Khabib's longtime coach, Javier Mendez, recently said his 29-0 fighter missed the competition.
But, last week Nurmagomedov straight-up told us an Octagon return ain't happening, saying ... "No. No. No. No. No."
We also talked to Dana about the big UFC 265 fight between Derrick Lewis and Ciryl Gane for the Interim Heavyweight Title. White breaks down the heavyweight division ... including what could be next for Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic.