Dana White to meet Khabib Nurmagomedov tonight over UFC future

Dana White will meet Khabib Nurmagomedov tonight regarding The Eagle's future in the UFC. Nurmagomedov and White are both in Abu Dabhi for UFC's upcoming events at the Etihad Arena on Yas Island.

According to ESPN's Brett Okamoto, the UFC President's imminent meeting with Khabib Nurmagomedov is set to take place tonight at a UAE Warriors event, which is middle-east based MMA promotion.

Khabib Nurmagomedov had announced his retirement from the sport following his win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254. In November 2020, White stated that he will meet Nurmagomedov soon and try to bring him out of retirement.

The much-anticipated meeting between Dana White (@danawhite) and Khabib Nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) is expected to take place tonight, Friday here in Abu Dhabi, at a UAE Warriors MMA card.

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) January 15, 2021

Following Khabib Nurmagomedov's retirement, the title picture in the UFC lightweight division looked seemingly blurry, leaving the promotion confused as to who should compete for the lightweight belt. However, Nurmagomedov deciding to not vacate the title has suggested that the Dagestani may eye a comeback soon.

Dana White has consistently noted that he will try his best to convince Nurmagomedov to make his return. However, if The Eagle's words at the Russian press-conferences are to be believed, he does not intend to come back unless his mother gives him her blessings or the UFC makes a lucrative offer that he can't refuse.

Why is Khabib Nurmagomedov in Abu Dabhi?

Khabib Nurmagomedov is not in Abu Dabhi just for the purpose of meeting Dana White. He will also be in the corner of his cousin, Umar Nurmagomedov on January 20 at UFC on ESPN: Chiesa vs. Magny.

Umar Nurmagomedov was supposed to fight on UFC 257, which will be headlined by Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier, but the UFC rescheduled the bout to an earlier date of January 20, according to MMA Junkie. This also means that Khabib Nurmagomedov will likely not be present ringside when McGregor faces Poirier in the UFC 257 main event.

In a recent appearance on WEIGHING IN podcast, McGregor said that Nurmagomedov's retirement baffled him and that he will "put on a show" in a possible rematch if the Russian fighter has the "b**s to come back".

"If the other guy (Khabib Nurmagomedov) comes back, if he has the b***s to come back and step in, if he stops running away, we are here for that (fight)," said McGregor.

Should Khabib Nurmagomedov decide to comeback, Dana White is likely to have him defend his belt once again opposite Conor McGregor if the Irishman successfully defeats Dustin Poirier.