The UFC‘s lightweight title is staying with Khabib Nurmagomedov (29-0) for the time being. In fact, it looks like he’s going to remain the champion for the foreseeable future if you ask Dana White.
Yesterday, the UFC president sat down with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto to discuss the lightweight title picture. Khabib said he was done fighting after he defeated Justin Gaethje (22-3) at UFC 254. If you ask Khabib, he hasn’t said anything else other than he’s done since then.
However, Dana White has been very vocal about Khabib coming back for one more fight. For that reason, White has refused to take away the lightweight title from the undisputed champion. Pundits and fellow fighters want the division to move on, but White truly believes Khabib isn’t done.
White told Okamoto that the UFC champion will meet up with him in Las Vegas for another dinner to discuss the future. While that might make fans roll their eyes, White did bring up a very valid point about his discussions with Khabib.
White mentioned the fact that if Khabib had zero interest in fighting, he wouldn’t even take the meeting. For that reason alone, White believes that there is still hope that Khabib comes back for at least one more title defense in the UFC.
What does that mean for the UFC’s lightweight division?
In the interview, White talked about the state of the lightweight division. He said the top seven is extremely stacked in the UFC and he said that all of these guys need to fight it out. After that, you’ll either see a new champion or new challenger for Khabib.
The UFC is moving down the path of booking Dustin Poirier (27-6, 1 NC) – Conor McGregor (22-5) 3. White said that the fight between those two wouldn’t be for a title. That of course derails any fans’ hope of seeing a belt on Dustin Poirier anytime soon.
White said in the interview that he believes whoever makes it through this year with several big wins, that’s who will either be champion or fight Khabib. However, don’t expect the UFC to take the title from Khabib anytime soon as White believes the right fight will still bring him back.
You can see White’s full interview with ESPN below.