UFC president Dana White has admitted that he is a ‘little confident’ that he can make Lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov return to the octagon after he announced his retirement back in October.
Nurmagomedov, 32, bowed out of the UFC after defending his Lightweight title against contender Justin ‘The Highlight’ Gaethje in October, claiming that he didn’t wish to return to the cage without his father by his side, who sadly passed away earlier this year.
Boasting a perfect 29-0 record, which is virtually unheard of in the world of professional mixed martial arts, Nurmagomedov made an emotional statement immediately after October’s win.
“This was my last fight,” the 32-year-old Champ said, as quoted by BJPenn. “I promised [my mother], it’s going to be my last fight… It was my last fight here.
“Tuesday, you guys have to put me No. 1 pound-for-pound because I deserve this.
“Today’s my last fight in the UFC.”
In light of Nurmagomedov’s retirement announcement, the race for the 155lb belt remains a fierce one.
World-renowned fighting duo Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier are both set to meet in January at UFC 257 as the pair prepare for their long-awaited sequel fight.
Elsewhere, Gaethje remains the division’s number one contender but a recent stunning performance from Charles Oliveira against Tony Ferguson could force ‘The Highlight’ to defend his current top ranking spot before he gets a second shot at the belt.
Speaking about the implications Nurmagomedov’s recent retirement could have on the division, White has revealed how he thinks he may stand a chance at convincing the Champ to wrap his hands once more.
Speaking live on BT Sport, as quoted by MMA Junkie, White said: “I think his dad wanting him to get to 30-0 is in the back of his mind, and he wants to achieve that because he knew his father wanted it.
“But we’ll see. Him and I are getting together next month and talk. He might not want to fight, I don’t know the answer to that. But I’m a little confident that I can talk him into it.”
White went on to confirm that McGregor and Poirier’s exciting match-up next month will not be for an interim title, he said: “No interim title, I’ll know next month.
“I’ll know when Conor and Poirier are fighting, when he’s (Nurmagomedov) going to fight again, so it all times out perfectly.”