UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov was last seen in action in the main event of UFC 229, defeating former two division UFC champion Conor McGregor by fourth round submission.
Dana White has a plan for the elite of the UFC Lightweight Division, which includes a title defense for Nurmagomedov and a rematch for McGregor.
“The fight that makes sense right now is probably Poirier (against McGregor),” White said on the TUF 28 Finale post-fight show. “And then Tony (Ferguson) gets a shot at the title, and the two winners fight each other. But I’m not sure exactly on a date when Conor’s going to fight yet. We have to get through this Nevada State Athletic Commission stuff first.”
Poirier and McGregor first fought at UFC 178, with McGregor picking up a first round TKO on that night. Nurmagomedov and Ferguson have been booked multiple times to fight each other before, but those bouts were canceled for a wide variety of reasons.
White is also waiting patiently to see what punishments McGregor and Nurmagomedov may get from the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) for their roles in the UFC 229 post-fight brawl.
“For me to even say anything is going to happen – who knows what these guys are going to get for suspensions? If it was just a fine that would be one thing,” White said. “They’re definitely getting suspended. I can’t see a scenario where they don’t get suspended. So I can’t do anything.”
None of the fighters mentioned by White are booked for fights at the moment, with three of them (Ferguson, Nurmagomedov & McGregor) last competing at UFC 229.
