Whoever emerges as the winner of the UFC 257 main card, pitting Conor McGregor against Dustin Poirier, a bigger fight date certainly awaits. Coming directly from Dana White, the victor of the rematch on January 23 will earn a ticket to square off with reigning lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
The bout headlining The Eagle could be a title defense or an exhibition but White made sure that the Russian will face next McGregor or Poirier. The final details of the fight, however, will greatly depend on how the UFC chief's talks with Nurmagomedov will turn out.
White is scheduled to discuss things with the semi-retired UFC star next week and he admitted that Nurmagomedov fighting again still hangs in the balance. In the same way, McGregor or Poirier getting a shot at a title is not yet written in stone.
"It does (depend on what Nurmagomedov does). I get on the plane next Monday and fly to Abu Dhabi. I don't know when he gets there, but he and I are set to meet as soon as he arrives," Yahoo Sports reported the UFC president as saying.
Nurmagomedov decided to exit the octagon for good last year after posting an immaculate record of 29 wins with no defeat. The Russian said he sees no reason to fight again after the death of his father and slugging anew will break the promise that he made to his mother.
Still, the UFC world is optimistic that The Eagle will fly at least one more time. White said Nurmagomedov could be persuaded to return for a blockbuster match that potently will upgrade his total UFC wins to 30.
And if the MMA artist agrees to another date inside the octagon, the effort could fetch a big purse that could convince him to fight another day. That exactly is the mission that White will try to accomplish when making his case before Nurmagomedov.
The big question is the opponent that Nurmagomedov is willing to clash with. If it's a toss between McGregor and Poirier, the latter is certainly an interesting rival for the Russian. Poirier is fresh from an impressive win and he is considered one of the best warriors in the lightweight division.
It is The Notorious, however, that likely will make a stronger argument for Nurmagomedov to come out of retirement if only for a brief moment. As BJPENN.com noted, not only that McGregor is a capable fighter he is also a colorful and popular UFC figure that should attract attention to a skirmish with Nurmagomedov.
The Irishman, to date, is the biggest superstar in the MMA arena, and meeting him on the octagon should afford the Russian the hefty retirement pay he seeks ending his career.
