Dana White has confirmed Khabib Nurgmagomedov is still expected to make his UFC comeback against Justin Gaethje this year following the tragic death of his father.
Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, 57, tragically passed away last month after being placed into a medically-induced coma in Moscow in May.
The UFC lightweight champion has not been heard from since the loss of the MMA coach left his family heartbroken.
Dana White admits he is yet to hear from the grieving champion
But he is still expecting Khabib to defend his titles at UFC Fight Island against Gaethje on September 19 in their highly-anticipated clash.
White said: “I don’t think it’s off the table. I’m just waiting to hear from him. I’m not messing with Khabib.
“I’m leaving him alone until he’s ready to talk and letting him mourn and do what he has to do.
“I reached out to him the day of ... I haven’t heard back from him since.”
Khabib ended the unbeaten run of Dustin Poirier with a stunning display at UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi last September.
He pulled out of his planned defence against Tony Ferguson at UFC 249 as the coronavirus pandemic derailed the event.
Gaethje stepped into his place and defeated Ferguson by technical knockout to catapult himself right into title contention.
He is now set to be rewarded with an exciting clash with Khabib which is still expected to take place despite recent tragic events.
Gaethje, 22-2, has bounced back from successive defeats to put together a four-fight winning run including impressive wins over Ferguson and Donald Cerrone.
Khabib is still unbeaten from 28 fights, including his huge win over Conor McGregor by submission back in October 2018.
