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Dana White Is 'Confident' Khabib Nurmagomedov Will Reverse His Retirement Decision In Next Meeting

Dana White Is 'Confident' Khabib Nurmagomedov Will Reverse His Retirement Decision In Next Meeting

Nurmagomedov retired back in October after defeating Justin Gaethje.

Daniel Marland

Daniel Marland

Dana White has revealed he will meet with Khabib Nurmagomedov next month - and is 'confident' he will reverse his decision to retire.

The Russian stepped away from the Octagon in October after defeating Justin Gaethje at UFC 254.

He is still technically lightweight champion however and Conor McGregor vs Dustin Poirier at UFC 257 won't be for the title.

UFC president White is adamant he can coax 'The Eagle' back and stated per talkSPORT: "The truth is, he has not committed to anything.

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PA


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PA

"What he has committed to is meeting with me next month. He and I are going to sit down, we're going to meet next month.

"We're going to find out how persuasive I can be - I'll bet on me every time."

Nurmagomedov and McGregor are bitter rivals and both being at the same venue, believed to be Fight Island, could spark fireworks.

But undefeated fighter Nurmagomedov is aware of that issue and when asked about a face off, he told a press conference per RT: "Why should I think about that?

"I'll act based on the situation. If you don't like someone or they don't like you, it's OK. If I meet someone I don't like, I'll act based on the situation."

When asked if UFC could engineer a meeting between Nurmagomedov and McGregor, he replied: "Now we're having a serious conversation.

"Maybe [they could]. They're able to do that. Anything can happen. It could be Moscow, Abu Dhabi, New York... Believe me, they're the best at that. No one compares to them [the UFC]."

In Nurmagomedov's mind, he is definitely retired. But some offers would be harder to turn down than others.

"If you decide to finish, finish," he told Marca.

"But the most likely thing is that Dana offers me money. If, for example, it's 100 million dollars, it would be hard to make a decision.

"We'll see what he's thinking. I think it's something that will follow me until the end of my life."

Do you think Khabib Nurmagomedov will reverse his decision to retire?

Featured Image Credit: TMZ Sports & UFC

Topics:ย Khabib Nurmagomedov, UFC News, MMA News, UFC, MMA, Dana White

Daniel is a journalist for SPORTbible and he has previous experience with Manchester United. He has spoken to some of the biggest names in sport including Rio Ferdinand, Peter Crouch, WWE COO Triple H and WWE legend The Undertaker. May or may not do a decent impression of Jamie Carragher.

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@DanMarland_