Conor McGregor could lure Khabib Nurmagomedov out of retirement with 'something spectacular' at UFC 257, Dana White says
FIGHT ISLAND — One of the four main event fighters at UFC 257 in the newly-built Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, January 23 could lure Khabib Nurmagomedov out of retirement and into one, final, 3oth fight.
Conor McGregor competes against Dustin Poirier in the Fight Island finale, after the three-time Bellator MMA champion Michael Chandler fights Dan Hooker in his UFC debut.
Should one of them dominate, or finish their match in an extraordinary circumstance, then it would be enough to entice Nurmagomedov into defending his lightweight championship one last time.
That's according to the UFC President Dana White, who met Nurmagomedov behind-closed-doors at a UAE Warriors MMA event Friday, and then told ESPN about the conversation they had.
Nurmagomedov was last seen submitting Justin Gaethje in the second round in October. He then dropped to his knees, cried to mourn the death of his father, and announced a dramatic and abrupt retirement.
"I thought in his last fight, his father had passed away," White told the broadcaster. "He'd been through a lot, away from his family during that time. [He] got injured while he was training and I thought he made an emotional decision.
"There's no reason to make a hasty decision like that when we didn't have to. I talked to him, told him to take his time, and we'd get together later on. Last night, we did.
"And basically, the way he feels is … he's accomplished everything he's set out to accomplish," said the UFC boss.
"He thought [Charles] Oliveira looked really good against Tony Ferguson, so next Saturday we got the McGregor vs. Poirier fight and Chandler and Hooker on there.
"So his words to me were, 'I'm going to watch this fight.' He said, 'I'd never tie up the division, hold the belt, and keep the belt away from anyone else. If these guys do something spectacular, show me something spectacular, and make me want to come back and fight.'
"I have the feeling, if somebody delivers — on the co-main event or main event — and, Oliveira looked good. Two fights coming up, Oliveira looked great. These guys can do something special and Khabib will fight them," White said.
"He's the best in the world right now. His best performance was against Gaethje with all that stuff going on, he just needed some time to clear his head.
"And if these guys do what I think they're going to next weekend, sounds like he might be interested in fighting one of them."
Read more:
One of the UFC's most spectacular knockout artists just got brutally knocked out on Fight Island
SEE ALSO: The pound-for-pound 10 best fighters in the MMA world right now
Join the conversation about this story »
NOW WATCH: 25 ways you can revamp your home