Khabib Nurmagomedov: Dana White Says “Something Special” is Next

There’s been no shortage of talk regarding what could come next for Khabib Nurmagomedov, if he beats Justin Gaethje at UFC 254. But the undefeated, lightweight champ says Dana White’s told him the promotion has something big in store for him.

Nurmagomedov says White’s told him “something special” is next

Nurmagomedov will battle Gaethje on October 24th, in what many believe could be one of Khabib’s toughest fights to date. The bout comes at a time when speculation continues, regarding how much longer Nurmagomedov will fight.

Although he’s still only 32, Khabib has continually said he doesn’t intend to fight for that much longer. Further, speculation regarding whether he could retire soon has spiked, since Nurmagomedov lost his father and coach, Abdulmanap earlier this year.

So, during media call this week, the renowned fighter was of course, asked about his future (quotes via MMA Fighting).

“Very good question, honestly – very good question,” Nurmagomedov said. “I don’t know. For example, I’m going to finish Justin Gaethje inside the cage Oct. 24. What else? This is very good question.

“I love competition. I love to compete with the best fighters in the world. That’s why I am here. I’m not in the UFC to make money.

I have a lot of business projects outside the UFC, I can make money. Good question. Very good question.”

Now, based off those comments, one could certainly infer Khabib is thinking about retiring, soon. But, the champ also reported this.

“I don’t think [retirement after this fight],” Nurmagomedov said. “We have a couple options. We’re going to think about this after this fight.

“Dana told me after this fight, he has something special for me. But I told him, please keep this, after fight we’re going to talk. He say has very big things after this fight for me. We’ll see.”

Georges St-Pierre?

Due to the fact Khabib has said, numerous times that he wants to fight Georges St-Pierre, naturally, those comments prompted speculation whether it could be a fight with GSP. But, not long after, Khabib’s manager Ali Abdelaziz tweeted out this.

“I can guarantee you that surprise won’t be Conor or GSP. It’s completely between me and Dana
It will be something big. But let’s show some respect to Justin . This is the best lightweight title bout in the history.”

Given that just recently, Khabib apparently said he’ll never fight McGregor again, the part here about Conor isn’t a surprise.

St-Pierre has also distanced himself from the possibility of returning for a fight with Khabib more recently, as he’s been retired for a while and isn’t sure he could make 155 pounds. 

So, what could the “something special” be? Some sort of mixed rules fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr.? Maybe it’s not a fight at all?