Could the sixth time be the charm?
Should Khabib Nurmagomedov beat Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 then the UFC President is looking to book a fight between him and Tony Ferguson once again:
“If Khabib does beat Gaethe, you get Tony Ferguson another fight, which we’re working on right now,” White told Sports Illustrated. “And hopefully that fight with Khabib happens because I know people want to see it.”
The match-up between both men has been scheduled five times now with the recent being at UFC 249. However, the bout has been cancelled each and every time as many truly questioned whether the fights between the top lightweights would ever happen.
Not surprisingly, Dana White is a bit hesitant in booking the fight again as the match-up has fallen apart for various reasons previously:
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a fight fall apart as many times as those two. It almost scares me to make the fight again. What’s going to happen? An asteroid comes to earth? That’s the level of bad this thing is.”
So does this mean that Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. George’s St-Pierre is off the table?
The UFC President seemed open to the idea earlier this year; however, White once again shut down the notion of the bout happening following the match-up against Gaethje (Transcript courtesy of Essentially Sports):
“No! That was one of those things that was supposed to stay between him and I. I do have something special for him if he’s interested after this fight." The reporter asked White, “Not Georges St-Pierre?” and he was quick to reply. “No, it is not Georges St-Pierre. I’m pretty sure Georges St-Pierre is done, and he doesn’t want to fight anymore. But no, it is not him!”
We should get a clear picture of the lightweight title scene once the fight between Gaethje and Nurmagomedov ends. While White still considers Conor McGregor retired, the former UFC Lightweight Champion sliding into the main event scene is still a possibility.