“I haven’t talked to Khabib [Nurmagomedov] but we’ll get it figured out,” UFC President Dana White told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto following the UFC 234 pre-fight press conference. “I don’t know what he wants or what he’s looking for right now. We haven’t even tried. But we’ll get it figured out.
“Yeah, it probably would [make an interim title necessary if Khabib sits out nine-months for his teammates]. It probably would. Yeah. We’ll see how it plays out. I haven’t heard Khabib say any of that. He hasn’t said to me. So when I hear these things that come back from reporters, or fans, or whatever, ‘Oh, I heard this and that,’ … I haven’t heard that.
“He hasn’t said that to me, so we’ll deal with it when we deal with it.”
For the current reigning undefeated UFC lightweight champion of the world, Khabib Nurmagomedov, he won’t be eligible to return to action until April at the earliest following his suspension from the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
However, due to his teammates Zubaira Tukhugov and Abubakar Nurmagomedov’s suspensions, he has said he isn’t willing to return until they’re suspensions are up as well. Meaning he could go a whole year without fighting as he is eying a fight in November at Madison Square Garden next, according to his manager.
Because of that, it would create a hole at the top of the 155-pound division that would seemingly get filled with yet another interim title.
Whether or not that will actually happen remains to be seen, but if one thing is for sure, the two most likely candidates to fight over the title would be the red-hot Dustin ‘The Diamond’ Poirier and the former interim champ Tony Ferguson.
Regardless, it all comes down to Khabib Nurmagomedov.
This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 2/8/2019
Former Olympic wrestler Gable Steveson believes MMA is likely in his future.
The Minnesota wrestler is in a bit of a strange place in his career. After winning gold at the 2020 Summer Games, Gable Steveson instantly became a star. The 24-year-old quickly signed a deal to join the WWE, bypassing offers from the likes of UFC and Bellator. Sadly for Steveson, professional wrestling wasn’t the right fit.
Interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall is in discussions for his return.
The British fighter is fresh off his trip to New York City for UFC 309. Back for the first time since knocking out Curtis Blaydes in an interim title defense in July, Tom Aspinall served as the backup fighter for Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic. However, his services weren’t needed. ‘Bones’ ultimately scored a third-round knockout win on Saturday.
Former two-weight UFC champion Henry Cejudo is down to face Dominick Cruz again.
‘Triple C’ hasn’t been seen in the cage since a showdown with Merab Dvalishvili in February. There, Henry Cejudo was handed his second straight loss by ‘The Machine’, this time losing by unanimous decision. Last May, the former champion ended his three-year retirement, suffering a defeat against Aljamain Sterling.
UFC light-heavyweight contender Khalil Rountree is reflecting on his war with Alex Pereira.
‘The War Horse’ got one of the most unexpected title shots in October. Riding a five-fight win streak punctuated by a knockout of Anthony Smith last year, Khalil Rountree got a shot at Alex Pereira. For his part, ‘Poatan’ was fresh off a second-round knockout win over Jiri Prochazka at UFC 303 in late June.
Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman will meet Eryk Anders next month.
‘The All-American’ hasn’t been seen in the cage since a controversial April win over Bruno Silva. Despite the Brazilian’s post-fight appeal citing several eyepokes from Chris Weidman, the former UFC champion emerged with a technical decision win. Following the victory, he booked a fight with longtime middleweight Eryk Anders.
UFC legend Glover Teixeira played an amusing prank on Tom Aspinall over the weekend during UFC 309 in New York City.
On Saturday night, Jon Jones defeated Stipe Miocic to successfully defend his UFC heavyweight championship. However, if necessary, interim champion Tom Aspinall was ready to step in on short notice and prove himself against the best of the best. He made weight, he’d done his media obligations, and he was ready to go.
Alex Pereira has given his thoughts on being bumped into the #3 slot by Jon Jones on the latest UFC pound-for-pound rankings.
If there’s one thing we know to be true about Alex Pereira, it’s that he’s a pretty chilled out guy. In equal measure, he’s also one of the most dangerous fighters on the planet. He has already achieved some great things in combat sports, and in the world of mixed martial arts, he has established himself as a genuine superstar over the course of the last few years.
Chael Sonnen says there is a major concern about Tom Aspinall if he does land the Jon Jones fight.
After Jones defended his heavyweight title with a third-round TKO over Stipe Miocic, many fans were hopeful that he would face Aspinall next. Yet, ‘Bones’ was quick to admit that he wasn’t too interested in that bout when speaking at the UFC 309 post-fight press conference. However, if the bout does eventually happen, Sonnen says Aspinall’s lack of fight time in the Octagon is a concern.
