Khabib Nurmagomedov successfully defended his lightweight title by conquering Justin Gaethje at UFC 254, then dropped a surprise by announcing his retirement right after the match. The Russian walked away unbeaten in 29 professional fights and the decision came as a puzzle to Conor McGregor.

The Notorious initially voiced out his support for Nurmagomedov but is now wondering how his former rival arrived at a decision to leave the octagon early. McGregor explained that a fighter like Nurmagomedov is destined to fight and there are many warriors out there for that purpose so it was baffling for The Eagle to just stop flying.

However, the Irishman said Nurmagomedov made the call and what happened was not surprising at all.

"It's been the hallmark of his approach. I was not surprised to see him walk away or scurry away, I should say. It is what it is. We carry on," MMA Fighting reported the UFC superstar as saying.

But there is a big reason why McGregor is not entirely happy that his Russian rival is already out of the game. The two clashed in October 2018 at UFC 228 and Nurmagomedov emerged the victor via fourth-round submission. For McGregor, he and Nurmagomedov have an unfinished business and UFC chief Dana White is trying to fix that.

White said Nurmagomedov is good for one more fight and he will make the case on the Russian when the two meet in Abu Dhabi soon. The UFC president thinks the 32-year-old Nurmagomedov will interrupt his retirement to gun for a 30-0 record and the lightweight champ will do that through what White envisions as the biggest UFC fight to take place.

A second McGregor vs. Nurmagomedov could potentially eclipse the first encounter of the two fighters. That first bout was recorded as the highest-earning UFC match in terms of PPV buys and White is looking forward to seeing a do-over and exceed what happened in 2018.

But to convince Nurmagomedov to sign on for a rematch with McGregor, White needs to change the Russian's mindset. Nurmagomedov did mention in the past that he sees no reason to meet his Irish foe at the octagon anew because the first fight ended in a decisive win that favored him.

Likely, the thought of securing his life in retirement will prod the undefeated fighter to consider one more big fight. As Bleacher Report noted, the thought of a slugfest pitting Nurmagomedov and McGregor is already exciting for the MMA fanbase. If the rematch becomes a reality, it would be a surefire blockbuster, which will translate to a big payday for both UFC superstars.

And most importantly for McGregor, he will get the closure he's been asking for.