Dana White told to make Khabib Nurmagomedov come out of UFC retirement for title shot

The Russian retired unbeaten in 2020 after retaining the UFC lightweight title

Khabib Nurmagomedov (left) with UFC president Dana White in 2018 (Getty Images)

UFC president Dana White has been told he should do all he can to persuade Khabib Nurmagomedov to come out of retirement to fight Charles Oliveira for the lightweight title.

Khabib retired unbeaten in 2020, moments after retaining the UFC lightweight belt by submitting Justin Gaethje.

Earlier this month, Oliveira also submitted Gaethje in what was supposed to be a title defence at 155lbs for the Brazilian. However, Oliveira missed weight a day before the fight and was thus stripped of the gold. His victory over Gaethje therefore saw him installed as No 1 contender for the now-vacant title.

Oliveira could go up against Islam Makhachev – a childhood friend and mentee of fellow Dagestani Khabib – later this year with the belt on the line, but UFC newcomer Natan Levy has suggested that Nurmagomedov himself should take on Oliveira.

“If I was a matchmaker, I’d make Khabib come back from retirement to fight Charles,” Levy told Freak MMA.

Oliveira’s victory over Gaethje extended his win streak to 11, while Makhachev, who fights with Khabib in his corner, is on a 10-fight winning run since suffering the only loss of his professional career.

Oliveira holds the records for most finishes and most submission wins in UFC history.