Dana White Talks Timeline For Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Justin Gaethje, as Conor McGregor Continues Drive For Title Fight

Conor McGregor has been in the news, on account of a Twitter barrage he’s unleashed, which included him teasing he’s fighting for the belt in July. But, as it stands right now, Dana White says Justin Gaethje will battle Khabib Nurmagomedov next.

McGregor teases July title fight

Gaethje secured the interim lightweight title this past Saturday at UFC 249, by punishing Tony Ferguson en route to a stoppage win. McGregor didn’t say anything publicly after the fight, but on Monday, he warned Gaethje and trashed Nurmagomedov in a Twitter assault.

Not only that, McGregor argued that Nurmagomedov wouldn’t fight Gaethje and that he’ll end up facing the new interim champ as a result. McGregor also said he’s fighting in July, and most recently, he tweeted out this.

“Super excited for the LW Title bout in July!

White talks timeline and location for Nurmagomedov vs. Gaethje

But, in an interview with ESPN 1000 Chicago on Monday, White was asked about the plans for the UFC’s lightweight title, and he relayed this (quote via MMA Fighting).

“I expect [Nurmagomedov vs. Gaethje] to happen this summer,” White said. “I don’t know if it will be the first one but it will be on ‘Fight Island’ unless miraculously the world comes back together faster than I think it’s gonna.”

So, we’ll see what happens here. It’s not all that surprising that, right now, White’s sticking with Khabib vs. Gaethje. After all, the latter just won the interim belt and he certainly deserves to fight for the undisputed title.

Further, there’s no reason to believe that Khabib would accept a fight with McGregor right now, even if it were tabled. That’s likely the case for Gaethje, who has the same manager as Khabib, Ali Abdelaziz. 

All that said, as MMA history shows us, you just never know what might happen when it comes to title fights.