Nurmagomedov's manager stated that he would compete again this November once his teammates (Zubaira Tukhugov & Abubakar Nurmagomeov) suspensions were over, but that plan doesn’t sit well with UFC President Dana White.
“Guys can’t sit out and wait that long when you have the title,” White said at the UFC 234 post-fight press conference (via Bloody Elbow). “You can’t do it. So if that’s true and he’s going to do that, then we’d have to figure out something else and you start looking at whether it’s Conor McGregor-Tony Ferguson or one of these other guys.”
The champion has stated that he believes the UFC will create an interim title, but nothing has been announced at this time.
White echoes the same thing about Nurmagomedov that he recently said about former UFC Interim Welterweight Champion Colby Covington.
“When opportunity knocks, answer the door. We’ll see how this thing plays out,” says White.
Conor McGregor was issued a six month suspension and a $50,000 fine for his role in the UFC 229 post-fight brawl.
