"He wanted to fight him" - When Dana White revealed Jose Aldo was considering a move to lightweight to challenge Khabib Nurmagomedov
Back in December 2016, the MMA community was rife with speculation regarding a potential lightweight fight between Jose Aldo and Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo claimed that a certain lightweight fighter’s father had turned down the opportunity to face him in a lightweight bout. Many believed the unnamed UFC lightweight was Khabib Nurmagomedov.
UFC president Dana White eventually confirmed that the rumor was indeed true. At a pre-fight scrum ahead of UFC 207 in December 2016, Dana White stated:
“He (Jose Aldo) did ask for Khabib (Nurmagomedov).”
“He asked for Khabib. He wanted to fight Khabib because Khabib is looked at as the guy, in that weight division. He (Aldo) wanted to fight him.”
You can watch Dana White’s statements regarding the proposed Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Jose Aldo lightweight matchup in the video below:
White added, however, that Khabib Nurmagomedov’s father – legendary MMA coach Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov – didn’t want 'The Eagle' to fight Jose Aldo. White noted:
“Khabib’s dad didn’t want him to fight. Khabib’s dad wants him to rest.”
You can watch the full UFC 207 pre-fight scrum in the video below:
Khabib Nurmagomedov, Jose Aldo, and Conor McGregor
Jose Aldo pursued a rematch against Conor McGregor for the better part of 2016 after losing the undisputed UFC featherweight title to the Irishman in December 2015. This is believed to be one of the reasons why Aldo was pursuing a fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov.
'The Eagle' was an elite lightweight contender and considered the biggest threat to then-UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor at the time. A win over Nurmagomedov would've earned Aldo a shot at the UFC lightweight title as well as the opportunity to avenge his loss to McGregor, albeit at lightweight and not at featherweight.
Regardless, Khabib Nurmagomedov and his father had different plans. His father wanted 'The Eagle' to fight either then-interim UFC lightweight champion Tony Ferguson or then-UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor.
Khabib Nurmagomedov did eventually capture the UFC lightweight title, winning it in 2018 and defending it multiple times. The undefeated Russian superstar retired from MMA in October 2020.
Meanwhile, Jose Aldo continued his career at featherweight and later dropped down to bantamweight, where he’s currently pursuing the title. As for Conor McGregor, he’s recovering from a leg injury and is expected to return to the octagon no sooner than 2022.