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UFC President Dana White has suggested that if Khabib Nurmagomedov wants to fight Georges St-Pierre, The Eagle would first have to vacate his UFC lightweight title.
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s last fight ended in a second-round submission victory over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in October 2020. The Eagle unified the UFC Lightweight title with that win and subsequently announced his retirement from the sport of MMA.
On the other hand, Georges St-Pierre’s previous outing in the octagon was against Michael Bisping at UFC 217 in November 2017. GSP captured the UFC Middleweight Chanpionship at the event via a third-round submission but he later vacated the title and hasn’t competed in MMA ever since.
Speaking to UFC Arabia, Dana White had the following to say about The Eagle’s retirement and the Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Georges St-Pierre dream fight.
“Here’s the thing: The last time he fought here, he was under tremendous pressure – physically, mentally, emotionally. His dad had just died. And I don’t think anybody should make a decision that big (such as retiring) with what he was dealing with. He’s had time now to go home and heal, spend time with family, think about a lot of things. So this is just gonna be a real easy conversation; just yes or no. Do you really wanna retire? Do you wanna fight one more time?”
“I don’t know,” Dana White said when asked if he’ll push to book a fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and GSP. “I think that if he wanted to fight Georges St-Pierre, you have him give up the (UFC lightweight) title, and him and Georges St-Pierre can fight.”
Following Khabib Nurmagomedov’s win in October 2020, the MMA community has been rife with speculation about the dream matchup between The Eagle and GSP potentially coming to fruition.
This is primarily because both fighters have previously expressed their willingness to face one another. Also, Khabib’s father, the late great Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, wanted The Eagle to fight GSP and end his (Khabib’s) MMA career with a 30-0 pro record.
Dana White believes that there are several good fights for Khabib Nurmagomedov right now
Dana White also spoke about a potential rematch between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor. White added that Charles Oliveira could also be a good fight for The Eagle.
“But if he wants to take on one of these other guys; I mean Conor McGregor is a no-brainer of a rematch if he wins the (UFC 257) fight on Saturday. (Charles) Oliveira is out there now. I mean there’s guys out there that are big fights, good fights, and fights that make sense for him. It just depends on where his head’s at and what he’s thinking; what he wants to do.” said Dana White. (*H/T Sportskeeda for the transcription)
Dana White met with Khabib Nurmagomedov in Abu Dhabi a few hours back. Fans can expect details on their meeting's outcome to be revealed sooner rather than later.
