The retirement of UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov after his October 2020 win over Justin Gaethje was a shocking one, but after meeting with UFC President Dana White on Friday, it appears that “The Eagle” isn’t closing the door on a return.
“Basically, the way that he feels right now is he’s accomplished everything he set out to accomplish,” said White during Saturday’s UFC Fight Night broadcast on ABC.
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But…the unbeaten 32-year-old did admit that Brazil’s Charles Oliveira was impressive in his win over Tony Ferguson, and with Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier headlining UFC 257 on January 23 and Michael Chandler and Daniel Hooker doing battle in the co-main event, the Dagestan native will be watching closely.
“If these guys can do something special, Khabib will fight them,” said White, also explaining that while a return from Nurmagomedov is far from a done deal, the champion made it clear that he will not tie up the division, meaning that sooner rather than later, there will be clarity in the 155-pound weight class.
And a lot for the top guns in the division to fight for next weekend.
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Stay tuned to UFC.com for updates.
