Dana White Responds to Khabib Nurmagomedov Threatening to Leave the UFC
Khabib Nurmagomedov is going nowhere but back to the Octagon.
That’s according to UFC president Dana White, who addressed threats from the undefeated Russian to leave the organization if his teammate Zubaira Tukhugov was released after his involvement in the post fight brawl following UFC 229 in Las Vegas.
White had previously stated that the fighters who were seen attacking Conor McGregor inside the cage during the melee would no longer compete in the UFC. Nurmagomedov then countered by saying if his teammates were fired, he would follow them out of the UFC.
Well no resolution has exactly been announced but White promises that he’s on good terms with Nurmagomedov and the reigning UFC lightweight champion isn’t going to leave the organization.
“We’re good with Khabib,” White told TMZ on Tuesday. “We’re good. We worked it out. We’re gonna get everything worked out. Obviously, he was a little upset, he was a little fired up. We’ll get it all worked out. Guys get very emotional and that was a very emotional fight for him, obviously. At the end of the day, Khabib is a great guy and we’ve always had a great relationship with him. It’s all good.
“He’s staying in the UFC. This will work out.”
White stopped short of confirming whether or not Tukhugov will remain on the UFC roster, although he’s already been pulled from his upcoming fight on Oct. 27 against Artem Lobov at the UFC Fight Night card in Canada.
As for what the future holds for Nurmagomedov, White says nothing has been decided yet but he did shoot down a rumor that started floating around on Tuesday that an offer had already been made for $15 million for a rematch against McGregor.
“I don’t know. We haven’t talked about that yet,” White said about who Nurmagomedov will face next. “He’s doing this whole tour right now. Let this guy enjoy his win and then we’ll figure that out.”
