Khabib Nurmagomedov was photographed with UFC executive Hunter Campbell over the UFC 333 weekend, and the internet did what it always does with a picture of Khabib standing next to anyone who signs checks in Las Vegas. Championship Rounds posted the image on X on Sunday with the phrase “Accidentally meeting” and a handshake emoji. By Monday, Bloody Elbow was reporting that the encounter had sparked comeback rumors.
The timing is what has people squinting. Boxingnews.com ran a piece under the headline “Khabib On Campbell Meeting After Cousin’s PFL Exit,” which indicates two things: Khabib addressed the meeting, and a cousin of his has left the PFL. The available reporting doesn’t name the cousin, doesn’t explain the exit, and doesn’t include what Khabib actually said about sitting down with Campbell. Nothing in the sources has him announcing a return, hinting at a fight date or mentioning an opponent. So for now the comeback talk rests on fan speculation, a photo, and a cheeky caption.
A Busy Weekend for the Dagestani Orbit
The Campbell sighting landed in the middle of a loud few days for Khabib’s circle. Before UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi, Bloody Elbow reported that Khabib sent a supportive message to Movsar Evloev, the undefeated Russian featherweight who brought a 10-fight UFC win streak into his title shot against Alexander Volkanovski at Etihad Arena. Bloody Elbow’s reader poll had 81 percent of 339 voters backing the 38-year-old Volkanovski.
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Then Khabib turned up at El Clasico in Barcelona, where Championship Rounds posted him linking up with lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan.
Meanwhile, Islam Makhachev, Khabib’s longtime teammate, is in a matchmaking standoff. Dana White said at the UFC 333 press conference that Makhachev gave no reason for changing his mind about fighting in January 2027. Makhachev then explained in a video posted to the Instagram account of his company, Pound 4 Padel, that he turned down Carlos Prates because Prates “recently lost to someone I beat,” referring to Ian Machado Garry. Prates now fights Michael Morales for the interim welterweight title at UFC 336 in Toronto. Makhachev narrowly got past Garry at UFC 330 in Philadelphia two months ago.
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Even the broadcast booth got pulled in. After Dominick Reyes knocked out Azamat Murzakanov at UFC 333, he accused Daniel Cormier on X of “clear bias towards fighters from the [Caucasus] region.” MMA Fighting noted that Cormier is friends and longtime training partners with Khabib and Makhachev. Reyes later walked it back, writing “we are all out here doing our best. Commentary team included.”
My Read
A man who coaches and manages a stable of Dagestani fighters, with a relative who just walked out of the PFL, shaking hands with the UFC executive who handles a huge share of the company’s contracts? That reads to me like business for his team, possibly his family, long before it reads like a man about to cut weight again. A winking caption is fun. It is also all we’ve got. Until Khabib’s own words on the Campbell meeting get a full public airing, I’m treating the comeback chatter as fans wishing out loud, and keeping my eyes on the fight that’s actually booked, Prates vs. Morales in Toronto to open the 2027 numbered schedule, with Makhachev watching from the sidelines.
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