Dana White’s Very Confident Khabib Nurmagomedov – Conor McGregor 2 Could Still Materialize

It’s still unclear as to who and when Conor McGregor will fight next, but Dana White believes a rematch with lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov is still, very much a possibility.

As you’ve surely heard by now, recently it was announced that Nurmagomedov will battle Dustin Poirier at UFC 242, September 7th. Although the expectation has been Khabib would take on the interim champ next, until the fight was actually announced, speculation continued as to what would be next for the 155 title.

Case in point, ever since Nurmagomedov submitted McGregor last October, there’s been extensive talk about the two fighting again. Although Nurmagomedov controlled much of the action at UFC 229, and tapped out the star, everyone and their dog knows that a rematch would still do big business.

Well, following the official announcement of Nurmagomedov – Poirier, White appeared on ESPN Sports Center. Not surprisingly, White was asked about Khabib – Conor 2, and here’s what the UFC President had to say (quotes via MMA Fighting):

“Conor wants that fight. Conor wants the rematch with Khabib,” White said. “All these guys have been fighting, again, this thing’s going to play out this weekend and then Sept. 7 in Abu Dhabi, and then we’ll figure out what’s next for Conor.”

“I could, I absolutely could [see a rematch],” White added.

Now, there’s a couple of things to consider here. One, since Nurmagomedov has repeatedly argued McGregor doesn’t deserve a rematch, one would think that Conor will need to return to the cage and record a win. Might Khabib agree to face McGregor next? If he beats Poirier on September 7th? Maybe. But, the champ has also been campaigning hard for a fight with the retired, Georges St-Pierre.

It also remains to be seen if the UFC can come to terms with McGregor for a different opponent. The star has talked about fighting again, and has acknowledged he may need to fight someone other than Khabib. But putting that fight together, with the new ESPN pay-per-view model in place, is another matter.