Dana White Shuts Down Khabib Nurmagomedov Comeback Hopes: “That’s Never Gonna Happen”

After a dominant run in the UFC lightweight division, Khabib Nurmagomedov retired in 2020 as the reigning champion at 32 years old.

He walked away with an undefeated 29-0 record and was still in his prime, leaving many fans stunned by his decision. Dana White was among those who wanted to see him return. 

White has now revealed that he did everything possible to convince Khabib to have one more fight, but believes it will never happen.

Dana White Says Khabib Nurmagomedov Will Never Return

In an interview with Bleacher Report, Dana White discussed several fantasy fights that never came to fruition. During the conversation, he also spoke about the possibility of Khabib Nurmagomedov returning to the UFC.

White said he had offered everything he could to convince the former lightweight champion to stay or fight one more time. However, he now prefers not to entertain hypothetical matchups.

“Khabib’s never coming back. That’s never gonna happen. Believe me, when he retired, I threw everything at him. I tried to get him to do one more or stay. He didn’t want to. Same thing with Cormier. So now I never think about any of those anymore, and I hate hypothetical fights. What I like is what’s possible right here, right now,” White said.

This is not the first time Dana White has spoken about Khabib Nurmagomedov's unlikely return. However, his latest comments make it clear that he no longer considers the possibility worth discussing.

Why Did Khabib Retire?

Khabib Nurmagomedov announced his retirement inside the cage after defeating Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in October 2020, successfully defending his lightweight title.

His decision came after the death of his father and coach, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, who passed away in July 2020 due to complications related to COVID-19. Khabib later revealed that he had promised his mother he would not fight again without his father by his side.

Although he stepped away from competition, Khabib continued to work as a coach for his friends and teammates. One of them was Islam Makhachev, who went on to become UFC lightweight champion and is the current welterweight champion.