UFC president Dana White seems pretty sure that Khabib Nurmagomedov isn’t retired. White still believes that Nurmagomedov will fight again in the UFC, and if the champion comes back, then the belt can’t be up for grab.
UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov (29-0) announced his retirement from MMA at UFC 254 after defeating Justin Gaethje by submission. The Russian said back then that he made a promise to his mother that he wouldn’t fight without his father. He also confessed that his father’s passing had been unbelievably hard for him. Since then, Nurmagomedov hasn’t given any sign that he would come back to fighting and seems pretty happy with his decision.
But Dana White seems to think otherwise. According to White, Nurmagomedov will come back and try to improve to 30-0. White also mentions that Nurmagomedov hasn’t withdrawn from the USADA testing pool and he was even tested recently.
“I told you guys I think he’s gonna go to 30 (wins). If he’s still testing, why the hell would you want to test still if you’re not gonna fight.” White then added, “He hasn’t committed yet but I feel like he’s gonna. And I’m not pushing him. We talked about it and he just fought. Let him take some time, spend some time with his family, spend the holidays. There’s no rush.”
When asked if Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier would be for a title, White was straightforward.
“No, it won’t be for the title,” White said “Khabib’s gonna fight again. I believe he’s gonna fight. It’s not for the title.”
According to the UFC president, McGregor vs Poirier is a sure thing but it probably won’t be for a title. Whit believes that Khabib Nurmagomedov isn’t done with MMA and as long as he’s still here, the belt belongs to him. The next few months will tell us more about the fate of the lightweight division.
