The undefeated UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov left the door open for the 30th fight inside the octagon.
Promotion president Dana White said that if the two lightweight fights next week – Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier and Dan Hooker vs. Michael Chandler – are spectacular, Nurmagomedov would consider returning to fight one of the winners.
“If these guys could do something special, Khabib would fight them,” White said on the UFC Fight Night broadcast: Holloway vs. Kattar from Abu Dhabi
Nurmagomedov has a chance to make a perfect 30-0 with a victory in a possible rematch.
Nurmagomedov, one of the most prominent Muslim athletes in the world, and White met backstage during a UAE MMA event on Friday night in Abu Dhabi that was co-promoted by Nurmagomedov’s new organization Eagle FC.
In October, Nurmagomedov surprisingly announced his retirement after a submission victory in the second round over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254. Before that fight, Nurmagomedov was mourning the death of his father last summer due to complications from COVID-19. Nurmagomedov’s father, Abdulmanap, was also his closest trainer and confidant.
Nurmagomedov (29-0) is the best ranked ESPN pound-for-pound fighter in the world. The native of Dagestan, an autonomous republic of Russia, won all 13 of his fights in the UFC, a record for most consecutive UFC lightweight victories. Nurmagomedov, 32, is the owner of the longest lightweight title in UFC history and is tied with the most UFC title defenses (3). He has won names like the former champions Gaethje, McGregor, Poirier and Rafael dos Anjos.