Winner of McGregor-Poirier Fight Likely Replacement for Khabib in the 155-Pound Category
The UFC is currently going through a difficult patch riddled with uncertainty as reigning champion Khabib Nurmagomdov retires from the sport. Khabib is well on his way to quitting the sport with a perfect record. And UFC President Dana White believes what happens next in the 155-pound category will come down to the result at Fight Island.
“I’ll get on a plane to Abu Dhabi on Monday. I don’t know when Khabib arrives, but he’s set to meet me there as soon as possible”, White mentioned during a recent interview. Meanwhile, the 155-pound division still needs to go on and the big fight between Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor will likely determine the next contender for the title.
Fight Island is scheduled to go down on January 23 in Abu Dhabi and there is not a casino site that won’t be prepared to handle the influx of wagers during the event.
“I don’t know where the media will put them. But I guess whoever wins the fight is probably next in line”, White said. As things stand at the moment, Khabib has no intentions of returning to the Octagon anytime soon since he’s gone on record to state that he’s defeated both “The Diamond” and “Notorious” inside the ring.
Is Khabib vs. St-Pierre on the Cards?
Experts believe the only time Khabib would step inside the ring is if he’s given a chance against former UFC Middleweight and Welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre. However, White believes such an encounter is currently not on the radar. “I have neither pursued that fight yet nor have I spoken to either one of them”, White stated.
Yet that could perhaps be the Ace up his sleeve in the wake up to the big meeting with the current Lightweight champion.
Roberto Villa is the CEO, Founder, Executive Writer, Senior Editor of FightBook MMA. Has a passion for Combat Sports and also a podcast host for Sitting Ringside. He’s also a former MMA fighter and Kickboxer.
