UFC 257 will take place on Saturday, January 23rd, and it’s a very popular event with Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier. But almost at the same level as the excitement for the event is the excitement surrounding an almost mythical encounter between UFC President Dana White and retired lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Khabib promised his mother that he was no longer fighting now that his father had died. Dana White thinks the champion should give him another fight to make it 30-0. For your father’s sake. What interpretation of your father Khabib’s wishes will follow?
“I don’t know how the meeting is going,” White told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto in a recent interview. “I am obviously meeting with him because I believe he should fight again. I mean, look what he did to Justin Gaethje. See what he did to each opponent he faced. ”
“There’s the … I think he does – like when I thought Cormier should be,” he continued. “I still think they are the best in the world. And there’s always the argument: ‘Well, it’s never a bad thing to come out on top.’ And when you talk about money … Khabib has unbelievable money. This guy doesn’t have to work anymore. And he still has the ability to do things to make unbelievable money. He is in a unique position as a fighter. ”
“So yes, I don’t even know if I answered your question. I don’t even remember what the question was. I think he should fight again and I will push him as hard as I can for one more. “
Is it just me or did Dana just give a list of reasons why Khabib should stay retired? Cormier recently admitted that he was shot in the back in his last fights, and he shouldn’t have continued, suffering consecutive defeats to Stipe Miocic. As White also mentioned, it’s also NEVER bad to come out on top. Khabib HAS unbelievable money. And because he is at the top, he still has the ability to make unbelievable money.
At least White was part of Khabib’s mentality, which is the only way to find out how to rescue him.
Unfortunately, he can’t stop thinking about Khabib vs. McGregor 2, which is something that Khabib considers inferior to him. Let’s get back to “The Eagle” again. Agreeing to this fight elevates Conor to a place where he was a worthy opponent and deserving of a rematch. This is not something Nurmagomedov is willing to do for the guy who called his father a coward and his wife a towel. But White will be pushing for a rematch with McGregor nonetheless.
“No matter what you think of Conor personally, Conor McGregor is not only one of the best in the world, he is one of the best who has done it,” said White. “And now he’s more focused than ever. I don’t know if this will be the same Conor after the Poirier fight. As you said, Conor will [up and down]. But if this Conor remains next year, how can you not make Khabib vs. Conor again? The division is full of tough guys, and the reality is that if Khabib retires, whoever is the best ranked guy at the time will face Conor if Conor wins over Poirier. And fight Conor for the title. “
Will Conor’s conquest of the Khabib title be enough to lure Khabib back to stop him? We have serious doubts. Now, if only there was another fight that the Dagestan champion (and his father) wanted …