Khabib Nurmagomedov Could Return After UFC 257, Dana White Says

Dana White says Khabib Nurmagomedov could come out of retirement if someone can “do something special” at UFC 257.

UFC President Dana White says Khabib Nurmagomedov could still return for another fight, despite announcing his retirement after defeating Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 back in October. If one of the contenders at UFC 257 can “do something special,” we might see Khabib fight again.

Isaac Brekken / Getty Images

“He’s accomplished everything he set out to accomplish,” White said Saturday during UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. Kattar. “He thought that Oliveira looked really good in his fight against Tony Ferguson. Next Saturday, we have the McGregor-Poirier fight and Chandler and Hooker on there.

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“His words to me were, ‘I’m gonna watch this fight.’ He said, ‘I would never tie up the division, hold the belt, keep the belt away from anybody else. These guys do something spectacular, show me something spectacular, and make me want to come back and fight.’ So I have a feeling that if somebody delivers, it could be on the co-main event or the main event and like I said he thought Oliveira looked good. Two fights coming up, if these guys can do something special, Khabib will fight them.”

Khabib, who maintained a perfect 29-0 record during his career, is widely considered one of the best fighters of all-time. His retirement came as a surprise to many. Khabib’s father, Abdulmanap, died prior to his last fight due to complications from COVID-19.

[Via]