Khabib Nurmagomedov gives blessing for Poirier vs. McGregor to be for title

While UFC president Dana White has been adamant that the upcoming lightweight bout between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier will not have a belt on the line, retired UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov suggests otherwise.

“My belt will be taken by the winner of Dustin and Conor,” Nurmagomedov told Russia’s Match TV.

Nurmagomedov announced his retirement after defeating Justin Gaethje by triangle choke at UFC 254. However, Dana White still has hope that the undefeated champ will come back for one last hurrah. Nurmagomedov has cited this as the reason why the belt has yet to be officially vacated.

“Dana and I … did not discuss the moment with the vacant belt. This is because they want me to continue,” he said.

Nurmagomedov has been quite active outside the cage since retiring, purchasing a stake in the Russian-based Gorilla Fighting Championship (GFC) and renaming it Eagle Fighting Championship. However, he has expressed his contentment with his decision to retire from MMA.

McGregor and Poirier are set to face off at UFC 257 on January 23rd of next year.