White shrugs off Khabib return talk: 'He weighs 225 pounds'

Retired former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, 37, sparked return speculation among fans after footage emerged of him trying on UFC gloves backstage at UFC 330. UFC President Dana White, however, effectively ruled out any chance of a comeback.

Khabib attended UFC 330 in Philadelphia on Sunday as part of the coaching staff for current welterweight champion Islam Makhachev. Makhachev defended his title against Ian Machado Garry in the main event, with Khabib supporting his protege as he typically does.

The footage was captured backstage at the event. It showed Khabib, dressed in casual clothes, slipping UFC open-fingered gloves onto both hands. For fans, the sight of Khabib — who has not stepped into the octagon since retiring in 2020 — putting on UFC gloves again carried considerable symbolic weight, and social media quickly filled with speculation about a possible return.

White shrugged off the idea when asked about it at the post-fight press conference. "I don't think that's happening," he said.

"When he was trying to retire, I was trying to hold on to him," White said. "But I don't think I can get him back now. He's probably walking around at 225 pounds right now. He's living a great life and I don't think he wants to fight anymore."

The lightweight division limit is 155 pounds (70.3 kilograms). If Khabib were preparing for a return, it is hard to imagine him allowing his weight to sit near 100 kilograms at this stage. Even during his active career, he struggled so severely with weight cuts that he reportedly passed out on at least one occasion.

Coaches trying on gloves backstage is not an unusual sight — they often do so to check the fit and help break in newly issued equipment for their fighters.

Beyond the weight issue, there is little justification for Khabib to reverse his retirement. He stepped away from the sport after submitting Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 in 2020, honoring a promise made to his family following the death of his father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.

Underlying the return speculation triggered by the backstage footage appears to be a broader debate about how Khabib compares to his own student, Makhachev. The question driving much of the discussion is: if Khabib came back, who between the two would be considered the greater fighter? Makhachev extended his winning streak to 17 consecutive victories — a UFC record — with his win at UFC 330. Having now claimed both the lightweight and welterweight titles, many observers already consider him to have surpassed his mentor.

Khabib's only response to White's comments was to say his weight is 93 kilograms, not 102. He offered no pushback on White's view that he will not be returning.