Dana White: Khabib Nurmagomedov open to return after UFC 257, nothing definitive

Khabib Nurmagomedov's decision to stay retired or return for a 30th fight depends on what transpires at UFC 257.

ABU DHABI – Khabib Nurmagomedov’s decision on coming out of retirement for a return to the UFC? There is no decision.

This according to UFC president Dana White on Saturday, who revealed details of his meeting with the lightweight champion one day earlier. White went on the UFC on ABC 1 broadcast and indicated that Nurmagomedov’s future depends on what happens next week at UFC 257, where Conor McGregor fights Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler meets Dan Hooker at the top of the card – even Charles Oliveira could be in the mix.

“His words to me were, ‘I’m gonna watch this fight.’ He said, ‘I would never tie up the division, hold the belt, and keep the belt away from anybody else. If these guys do something spectacular, show me something spectacular, and make me want to come back and fight,'” White said. “So I have the feeling if somebody delivers, it could be on the co-main event or the main event, and he thought Oliveira looked good (vs. Tony Ferguson). … If these guys can do something special, Khabib will fight them.”

Nurmagomedov announced his retirement from MMA in October after he scored a submission win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254. After the heartbreaking death of his father and head coach, Abdulmanap, over the summer, Nurmagomedov said he promised his mother that he would no longer compete, despite an original aspiration to go 30-0 in his career.

White didn’t seem entirely convinced by Nurmagomedov’s choice to end his career. He’s repeatedly said in the months since that he intended to meet with “The Eagle” during the promotion’s stint on “Fight Island,” and felt confident he could get the Russian back for at least one more fight, with a rematch against McGregor being his perfect-world scenario.

McGregor vs. Poirier, which is a rematch of an bout from UFC 178 in September 2014 that “The Notorious” won via first-round knockout, headlines UFC 257, takes place at Etihad Arena on Yas Island. The main card streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.