Morning Report: Dana White says Khabib Nurmagomedov will not be leaving the UFC

When Khabib Nurmagomedov jumped into the crowd after UFC 229 to attack Dillon Danis, it started a brawl wherein his friend and training partner, Zubaira Tukhugov, cheap-shotted the freshly defeated Conor McGregor. It was a dirty attack and one that resulted in Tukhugov being removed from his scheduled bout with McGregor’s friend and training partner, Artem Lobov. That didn’t sit well with Nurmagomedov who, just a few days later, threatened to leave the UFC if they chose to fire Tukhugov for his role in the incident. But what was quickly turning into a tense situation for the UFC, is now all smoothed over, according to the man in charge.

Speaking recently with TMZ, UFC President Dana White said that the situation with Nurmagomedov has been resolved and that “The Eagle” will be staying in the UFC.

“We’re good,” White said. “We’re good with Khabib. You guys are still posting that s**t, that was a week ago. A week ago! A lot happens in a week in this business.”

White was short on details for how the UFC soothed Nurmagomedov’s ruffled feathers, and even played it cagey with whether or not Tukhugov would still be released from the UFC or not. However, he remained extremely confident that Nurmagomedov had calmed down since the incident and that everything between them was fine now.

“We’re good,” White said. “We worked it out. We’re gonna get everything worked out. Obviously, he was a little upset, he was a little fired up. We’ll get it all worked out. Guys get very emotional, man. That was a very emotional fight for him, obviously. And at the end of the day, Khabib’s a great guy. We’ve always had a great relationship with him. So it’s all good, brother. This will all work out.”

The UFC must certainly hope so. As one half of by far the biggest pay-per-view in UFC history, Nurmagomedov is suddenly one of the biggest stars in the UFC and they will be looking to cash in on the undefeated champion’s newfound notoriety. But who Khabib will fight next remains a mystery. Tony Ferguson is the presumptive No. 1 contender to Nurmagomedov’s lightweight title but a rematch with McGregor figures to be the biggest fight the UFC can make financially at this point. Then there’s also the possibility, however slim, of a crossover fight with Floyd Mayweather. At this moment though, White says the dust needs to settle from the UFC 229 fallout and then they can plan the next step for Khabib.

“We haven’t talked about that yet,” said White. “He’s doing this whole tour right now. He’s going to UAE, he was over with Putin, he’s doing all this stuff. Let this guy enjoy his win and then we’ll figure it all out.”