If Khabib remains retired, then the Poirier-McGregor contest would probably become for the lightweight title, while if White announces Khabib plans to return to the ring, then it would likely make next Saturday’s contest a number one contenders fight.
There may also be the possibility that Khabib remaining retired could open up the door for a lightweight tournament, involving the likes of Gaethje, Chandler, Hooker and Charles Oliveira.
In December, the UFC seemed to accidentally reveal Poirier-McGregor 2 would be for Khabib’s lightweight belt, when the MMA promotion company accidentally posted a message on Twitter which said it would be a title fight.
The UFC’s Twitter direct message chatbot posted: “Don’t miss Poirier take on McGregor for the lightweight title bout. Who do you think will walk out of the Octagon with the W?”