Khabib Nurmagomedov is still serving a nine-month suspension for his role in instigating the post-fight chaos of UFC 229 in October, but it looks like plans are in the works for his comeback.
Nurmagomedov’s agent Ali Abdelaziz spoke to ESPN and broke down the lightweight champion’s intentions over the course of the next year: three fights, with one against a future UFC Hall of Famer:
Three fights over the course of 11 months is obviously a pie-in-the-sky hope, as that would require perfect health and everything to go as planned in order to fit that many fights in such a small time frame. It’s not impossible, it’s just important remember we’re dealing with Nurmagomedov’s hopes here, not a concrete plan.
Who else could Khabib fight?
As for the fights in September and December, we already know one very likely opponent.
The December fight seems much less certain. The UFC could try to, finally, get Nurmagomedov and No. 2 lightweight contender Tony Ferguson in the ring. That matchup has been scheduled and abruptly cancelled four different times in the past, so maybe fifth time’s the charm. A champ-vs.-champ fight with Holloway could be another possibility.
"To be honest, Conor is going to have to go out there and fight somebody like Justin Gaethje, Tony Ferguson or Cowboy [Donald Cerrone]," Abdelaziz said. "He's not a worthy enough opponent right now. That's the feeling from all of us, as a team."
Of course, that hasn’t stopped Vegas from posting odds on the potential fight.