Khabib Nurmagomedov News: UFC President Dana White names next potential opponents for the Dagestani
What's the story?
Following his first ever successful Lightweight Title defense against Conor McGregor at UFC 229, fight fans around the globe have been wondering what's next in store for champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
UFC President Dana White, who recently spoke with ESPN, shed some light upon Nurmagomedov's future in the Octagon and his next potential opponents.
In case you didn't know...
At UFC 229, Khabib Nuramgomedov marked his first successful Lightweight Championship defense against former division champion Conor McGregor, who was competing in the Octagon for the first time in two years, having last competed in 2016 at UFC 205.
Nurmagomedov, who initially won the title at UFC 223, made the Irishman tap out to a nasty neck-crank in the fourth round of their fight. In the process, not only did he successfully defend the UFC Lightweight Championship, but he also handed McGregor just his second loss inside the UFC Octagon.
After the fight, however, a wild brawl between Khabib's and McGregor's teams erupted. The champion ended up climbing out of the cage and attacking Bellator Welterweight and McGregor's teammate Dillion Danis, throwing the entire arena into chaos.
The heart of the matter
Khabib Nurmagomedov's win over Conor McGregor is quite possibly one of the biggest victories' in UFC history and following the Dagestani's triumphant win, several top names such as the likes of Tony Ferguson and former UFC Middleweight Champion, Georges St. Pierre have seemingly vouched for a fight against Nurmagomedov.
UFC President Dana White recently spoke with ESPN and shared the next potential opponents for Nurmagomedov inside the Octagon. (H/T: BJPenn.com)
“I THINK YOU’D HAVE TO LOOK AT THE CONOR MCGREGOR-KHABIB NURMAGOMEDOV FIGHT. [IT] BROKE RECORDS, INCREDIBLE FIGHT, KHABIB WINS, WHICH SETS UP POSSIBLE FIGHTS WITH TONY [FERGUSON] AND [DUSTIN] POIRIER AND CONOR. LIKE I SAID IN EVERY DIVISION I COULD CRANK OUT TWO OR THREE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT ARE FUN AND EXCITING FOR EITHER THE END OF THIS YEAR OR NEXT YEAR.
I DON’T KNOW IF THE IMMEDIATE REMATCH [BETWEEN KHABIB AND CONOR] HAPPENS BECAUSE WE GOT TO SEE WHAT THE NEVADA STATE ATHLETIC COMMISSION HANDS DOWN IN DECEMBER WHEN THAT HEARING HAPPENS. SO I’M NOT EVEN THINKING ABOUT THAT, I’M THINKING ABOUT POSSIBILITIES IN THE FUTURE BUT, RIGHT NOW, NOT EVEN WORTH THINKING ABOUT UNTIL WE FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS IN NEVADA.”
What's next?
Khabib Nurmagomedov is likely to face either Tony Ferguson, who is also a former Interim Lightweight Champion, or GSP in a mega fight several UFC fans have been patiently waiting to witness for several years now.
Only time will tell what the future has in store for the UFC Lightweight Champion.