ABU DHABI – Dan Hooker doesn’t think UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov returns to the octagon. When Nurmagomedov (29-0 MMA, 13-0 UFC) met with UFC president Dana White in Abu Dhabi, White claimed Nurmagomedov said he’ll only come out of retirement if someone really impresses him . Prior to hanging up his gloves, Nurmagomedov notched successful title defenses with finishes of UFC 257 headliners Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier, as well as Justin Gaethje in his most recent outing at UFC 254. In Saturday’s co-main event, Hooker (20-9 MMA, 10-5 UFC) will welcome Michael Chandler to the UFC in a pivotal lightweight clash. While Hooker is unsure how Nurmagomedov’s decision will impact him personally, he knows there are big implications in his fight with Chandler (21-5 MMA, 0-0 UFC). “That’s like in the back of my head, what is going to come from this,” Hooker told MMA Junkie.
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