UFC President Dana White Thinks Khabib Nurmagomedov Will Return

UFC President Dana White believes Khabib Nurmagomedov will think twice about his retirement announcement.

Nurmagomedov hung up his gloves at the conclusion of UFC 254. In the main event of that card, “The Eagle” took on Justin Gaethje in a lightweight title unification bout. Nurmagomedov emerged victorious via second-round submission. Nurmagomedov cited his mother’s wish to refrain from fighting without his father, Abdulmanap, who passed away earlier this year.

White appeared on the Zach Gelb Show and expressed his belief that Nurmagomedov will forgo retirement in favor of at least one more fight (h/t MMAFighting.com).

I have 15 minute interview with @ufc President @danawhite that will air tonight on @CBSSportsRadio at 8 PM Eastern/5 Pacific.

Dana told The Zach Gelb Show on CBS Sports Radio that he and @TeamKhabib have been talking & he expects Khabib to return & go for 30-0.

WOW! pic.twitter.com/UqAM19Y1SF

— Zach Gelb (@ZachGelb) October 29, 2020

“I’ll tell you this and I haven’t told anybody this yet, but Khabib and I have been talking. He was completely emotional that night when he got through that fight. I have a feeling that he might go for 30-0.

“I do [think he’s coming back]. I think that he’s not going to retire. His dad wanted him to get to 30-0 and I think he wants to honor his dad’s wish.”

Nurmagomedov had a stellar performance at UFC 254. Many agree that “The Eagle” has nothing left to prove, especially after surpassing Jon Jones on the UFC’s pound-for-pound list and having the chance to retire as an undefeated champion. Still, one last fight to get to 30-0 may be enough to lure Nurmagomedov back inside the Octagon.

If Nurmagomedov were to ditch retirement, many expect either a super fight against Georges St-Pierre or a rematch with Conor McGregor to be next. There’s also the wildcard, Tony Ferguson. Khabib and Ferguson have been booked to fight each other several times only for the bout to fall through every time.