Dana White says he plans to meet with Khabib Nurmagomedov the week of UFC 257

UFC president Dana White confirmed that he plans to meet with UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov the week of UFC 257 in Abu Dhabi.

Following his submission win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254, Nurmagomedov retired from MMA, citing a close relationship with his deceased father Abdulmanap as one of the reasons why he wanted to hang up his gloves. However, in the weeks since then, there have been rumors that Nurmagomedov could fight again. Indeed, White has said that he believes Nurmagomedov will step into the Octagon one last time in an effort to go 30-0 in his professional MMA career. Right now, he’s one win away from that mark.

White has been saying for a couple of weeks now that he plans on meeting up with Nurmagomedov in the near future in order to discuss his current position as far as retirement goes. Speaking to media following UFC 256, White confirmed that he plans on meeting with the Russian in Abu Dhabi in January during the week of UFC 257, which features a main event between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier. The winner of that fight could become the next title challenger for Nurmagomedov if he returns.

Dana White plans on meeting Khabib Nurmagomedov on the same week that Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier is happening at UFC 257#UFC256 https://t.co/SzfAFfphp7

— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) December 13, 2020

Dana White plans on meeting Khabib Nurmagomedov on the same week that Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier is happening at UFC 257 #UFC256 (h/t MMAFighting.com)

Nurmagomedov has said that he believes neither McGregor nor Poirier is deserving of fighting for the belt next considering he already has submission wins over both men. However, Nurmagomedov is also a businessman, and a fight against the winner of McGregor vs. Poirier would be a big fight. Then again, so would a superfight against former UFC legend Georges St-Pierre. If White presents an offer to Nurmagomedov to fight GSP, then perhaps it would be enough to convince Nurmagomedov to fight again.

Do you think Dana White will be able to convince Khabib Nurmagomedov to unretire?