MMA News & Rumors: Will Khabib Fight Again in the UFC?

Saturday night in the UFC was perhaps not what most people were expecting, with Dustin Poirier delivering a TKO against Conor McGregor in the second round of their fight. McGregor was in as the favorite for that one, with all signed pointing to him being the favorite again if he meets Poirier again for a third time. We’ll get to more of that in a minute, but the question that everyone has now is what the result of the weekend fight means for the future of Khabib in the UFC. By all accounts, the fight did little to inspire him to come back. Let’s take a look at the latest UFC news out there so you can continue making your bets against our UFC odds.

2021 MMA Betting News & Rumors Update | Jan. 25th Edition

Dana White confirmed that he had spoken to Khabib after the McGregor fight and claimed that the champ was not impressed with what he saw. Khabib really sees no reason to return for one more fight, with White claiming that the champ feels as though he is several levels above both McGregor and Poirier, a pair of fighters that he has already beaten. Does this really now mean the end of the road for the Lightweight champion or is there something else around the corner for him?

Those interested in seeing Khabib fight again may have to settle for seeing him inside a boxing ring rather than the Octagon. Abi Abdelaziz, Khabib’s manager, has claimed that his fighter was offered $100 million to step into the ring with Floyd Mayweather, who you all remember fought Conor McGregor a while back. Khabib has confirmed as much, making mention of the offer prior to his last fight with the UFC. This would be an absolutely massive PPV draw, but is it something that Khabib is interested in? Right now, it seems that he is content with life away from fighting, but that sure is a lot of money to turn down.

A rather contrite Conor McGregor limped out of the arena on Saturday night, pausing to congratulate Poirier on the win and make mention of fighting him again. With Dana White still seemingly unwilling to strip the retired Khabib of the Lightweight title, another rematch between McGregor and Poirier seems likely. That would give White time to continue working on the champ. McGregor blamed his time away from fighting for his display on Saturday night, promising to return again this year, at which point we may have a better idea of how the division is going to play out.

Any and all future fights hosted by the UFC may now be taking place on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi. The coronavirus numbers are spiking again in the U.S. and new strains of the virus are also taking hold. With new travel restrictions set to be put in place, as well as quarantining, chances are that hosting fights in Las Vegas, as the UFC has been doing, might prove to become a logistical nightmare. Dana White described the situation in Abu Dhabi as being “as close to perfect as you can get,” while also suggesting that all future events in 2021 may be end up being held there.

I have read enough, I need to place my bet now. What to do?