Dana White Convinced Khabib Nurmagomedov Will Return To UFC: ‘I Have A Feeling That He Might Go For 30-0’

UFC president Dana White believes Khabib Nurmagomedov will come out of retirement to achieve a 30-0 career record, according to a report from ESPN. The lightweight champion shocked the MMA community a week ago when he announced he was retiring from the sport.

Dana explained on Thursday that he has been in contact with Khabib and got the feeling that he wanted to come back to honor his dad. His father passed away in July due to complications from COVID-19, shortly before his brawl against Justin Gaethje. The 32-year-old mentioned that his dad always wanted him to achieve 30 victories.

“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,” the president revealed in a radio interview.

After Saturday’s matchup, Khabib stated that he made a promise to his mom that he would not return to fighting, as reported by Yahoo Sports.

“She didn’t want me to go fight without my father. I promised her, ‘It’s going to be my last fight,’ and if I give my word, I have to follow this. It was my last fight here,” he said.

Khabib defeated Justin in the league’s 155-pound championship via a second-round TKO. After the victory, various sports analysts ranked him the best pound-for-pound fighter.

If “The Eagle” decides to return to the Octagon, he will not have a tough time finding a competitor. Two other fighters, Georges St-Pierre and Colby Covington, have already expressed interest in taking him on.

Georges has not competed since 2017. However, he mentioned earlier in the month that he is open to returning, as long as he faces a top athlete like Khabib.

“The most exciting thing is to take the guy who seems invincible, unbeatable,” Georges said regarding the potential brawl.

Colby has also expressed interest in matching up with Khabib, and recently threw shade at him for not competing in a higher weight class. The welterweight champion believes that he should join his class, and not in the lightweight division. Colby also slammed him for cutting so much in order to make the lower division limit, according to a report from Sport Bible.

“Come on, fight in your own weight class,” he stated on a radio interview.

“I’m saying, if you have to cut weight, you’re a p*ssy,” he added.

If Khabib comes out of retirement, fans have also expressed interest in seeing him battle either Tony Ferguson or Conor McGregor.