UFC president Dana White has made no secret of his desire to bring Khabib Nurmagomedov back to the octagon, and now he’s gone on record to reveal the fight he hopes to make for the Russian, should he decide to return.
Speaking to the SHOUT! Buffalo podcast, White explained that he plans to sit down with Khabib on UFC Fight Island, with the lightweight champion set to be there to corner his cousin, Umar Nurmagomedov, on the same card that will be headlined by McGregor, who takes on Dustin Poirier in their eagerly-anticipated rematch on January 23.
And, during those conversations, White revealed that he not only wants to persuade “The Eagle” to return to the octagon, but also hopes to get him to agree to a potential rematch with the UFC’s biggest star, McGregor.
“When I fly out there (to Fight Island), Khabib is going to be there, too. I’m going to meet with Khabib while I’m there,” said White.
“In a perfect world, if Conor wins this fight, I’d love to see the rematch with him and Khabib. It’s the biggest fight that can be made, and it’s the fight that makes sense.”
While White may have laid out his plan, there are no guarantees that it will come to fruition. Khabib has repeatedly reinforced his decision to retire, and recently stated that he doesn’t have any plans to return to action.
Instead, the UFC lightweight champ is looking to continue working with his teammates, while also running his newly-purchased MMA promotion, Eagle Fighting Championship, which he hopes to establish on UFC Fight Pass in 2021 and beyond.
In addition, White’s plans also rely on McGregor defeating Poirier on January 23. While the former two-division champion is sure to be a strong betting favorite heading into the matchup, both men have vastly improved since their first meeting back in 2014 at UFC 178, and the matchup may be a very different one the second time around.
