Dana White Admits Khabib vs. McGregor Rematch Can Happen If Both Men Win Upcoming Fights
UFC president Dana White revealed that a rematch between lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor is more than possible.
The two met in a heated grudge match at UFC 229 in October last year that saw Nurmagomedov come out on top with a fourth-round submission victory. McGregor has since called for the rematch numerous times — but given his drop in stock as well as his overall inactivity, it never seemed likely to happen.
But that doesn’t mean it’s dead. White appeared on the Rich Eisen Show recently and admitted that a sequel could happen provided both men win their next fights. Nurmagomedov is set to defend his title against Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 next on April 18.
McGregor, meanwhile, will return to action against Donald Cerrone in the UFC 246 headliner on January 18.
“He’s gotta beat Cowboy Cerrone, which is a very tough fight, especially at 170, without Cowboy having to cut weight,” White said (via @jedigoodman). “Then, Khabib has to beat Tony Ferguson.
“If both of those things happen, then yeah, I think we can make the rematch.”
In a separate interview, White added the reason why McGregor was fighting at 170 as opposed to 155:
“Conor is going to fight at 170 for this fight,” White added. “Mainly because he doesn’t want to have to cut the weight to 155. Him and Cerrone have both fought at 170.
“He’s hoping that he beats Cerrone and can turn right around and fight Khabib as quick as possible. So he didn’t want to make the cut twice.”
While that serves as good news for McGregor, one person definitely won’t be happy with White’s comments — Justin Gaethje.
Do you think it would be fair for McGregor to get a rematch with Nurmagomedov?
