The UFC president expects to book a second fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor this year, should everything fall into place.
The UFC on ESPN era kicked off at 12 AM ET with a replay of the UFC 229 main event between reigning lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor. It was the biggest fight in UFC history, generating well over two million PPV buys and a $17.2 million gate, but will we see a rematch any time soon? Dana White indicates that he’s looking to make it happen this year.
Speaking with TMZ Sports, White neither specifically said nor really indicated it’d be an immediate rematch, but he expects that the two bitter rivals to go at it once more in the near future.
“I think a lot of people want to see that fight,” White said. “Obviously, again, we still haven’t gone before the Nevada State Athletic Commission. That’s gotta happen, and when that does we can figure out how this whole thing plays out.
“Is Max [Holloway] moving to 155? Tony Ferguson is obviously in the mix, so we gotta see how this thing plays out,” He added.
“Obviously guys are going to have to win. It depends on how long the suspensions are and things like that, but yeah. As long as everything goes right, this fight should happen.”
The NAC hearings for McGregor and Khabib are scheduled for January 29th. It was Nurmagomedov who submitted McGregor by neck crank in round four, then exited the cage and started a melee over something allegedly said to him by Dillon Danis, McGregor’s teammate. Chaos ensued and punches were thrown in and outside of the cage, with McGregor getting hit by one of Khabib’s teammates, and Conor throwing back. Both men now await their punishments for what transpired on October 6th.
White has been adamant that it’s time for Tony Ferguson to get his title shot, and after his win over Anthony Pettis in the UFC 229 co-main event, he figures to be the #1 choice to face Khabib next. Of course, what White says often doesn’t match what ends up actually happening, so it’s anybody’s guess as to the next chapter of the UFC’s 155 lbs division.