Dana White announced that UFC Lightweight Champion the undefeated Khabib "The Eagle" Nurmagomedov will be making his long-awaited return at UFC 242 to defend his belt since he was suspended at UFC 229. Khabib Nurmagomedov will be defending his title against UFC Interim Lightweight Champion Dustin "The Diamond" Poirier to unify both belts in September. Up until this point, it was pretty unclear what was gonna happen with Khabib considering that he was suspended for so long. Many thought that the UFC was gonna strip Khabib of the title due to his actions after UFC 229.
Khabib "The Eagle" Nurmagomedov was suspended for jumping over the octagon and attacking "The Notorious" Conor Mcgregor's close friend and training partner Bellator fighter Dillon Danis. Which ignited a huge brawl in the crowd and it poured into the octagon after Khabib's cornerman proceeded to attack Conor Mcgregor after Conor attacked Khabib's brother. All parties that were involved were fined and suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission
UFC 242: Poirier Vs. Nurmagomedov will take place on September 7th in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates as the country really wanted Khabib to headline the first event according to Dana White. It is suspected that top stars from that side of the world will make an appearance at the event; it is just not known who at the moment. The UFC also just reached a deal with the country as they will hold more events within the country over the next couple of years.
The UFC Interim Lightweight Champion Dustin "The Diamond" Poirier will be taking on Khabib in an attempt to be the first person to defeat Khabib Nurmagomedov and become the Undisputed UFC Lightweight Champion. Dustin Poirier is currently on a 4 fight win streak with one of those victories being over the UFC Featherweight Champion Max "Blessed" Holloway at UFC 236. Dustin Poirier has finished 3 out of his last 4 opponents all by TKO. Names like Eddie Alvarez, Anthony Pettis, and the human highlight reel Justin Gaejthe as Dustin have been completely tearing through the division on his quest for the UFC Undisputed Lightweight Championship.
At UFC 236 Dustin Poirier faced UFC Featherweight Champion Max "Blessed" Holloway who moved up a division in an attempt to become a double champ and hold 2 belts in the UFC. Unfortunately, it did not go that way for Max "blessed" Holloway as he got cracked and hurt more than once in the 1st round. After a back and forth brawl it was more than clear that Dustin "The Diamond" Poirier was the winner of the bout. He went on to become the UFC Interim Lightweight Champion after he won the bout via Unanimous decision from the judges.
The Last time we saw "The Eagle" in action when he faced his biggest rival "The Notorious" Conor Mcgregor at UFC 229 and put a beating on him. Khabib continued to dismantle Mcgregor as he even dropped him with a hard overhand. Khabib Nurmagomedov would go on to submit Mcgregor in the 4th round via rear naked choke/ face crank before the brawl took place.