Khabib Nurmagomedov and his retirement last month threw the Lightweight division into a tail-spin. Now with question marks over who inherits the throne, Dustin Poirier has spoken about Khabib’s move and whether he will return or not.

‘The division has to move on. The only thing that makes me think this guy is serious. First of all, he doesn’t seem like a bulls****er.

“And if he said he is done right after the fight, his father just passed and it is an emotional moment, you just got another title defense, you get to go back home to your family.

“You might say those things right after, but if a month later you are singing the same tune, maybe the guy’s mind is somewhere else.”

Poirier also added, “Maybe he is moving forward. And like he said, has accomplished everything he set out to do. I don’t know. But if he is done, somebody has to fight for that belt.”

Khabib Nurmagomedov holding the division up

Khabib Nurmagomedov retiring is perfectly understandable and justifiable. He went through some personal issues and realized that family is more important than his career. However, if he is truly done with fighting, why is he holding the title up?

One cannot say they are done with the sport but be unsure about giving up their title. Khabib is a man of principle, so if he says he will retire, he will retire. But he also believes that Conor McGregor should earn a title fight.

If he relinquishes the belt, McGregor gets an open title shot against Poirier despite never rebounding from his UFC 229 loss in the division.

But Poirier does deserve a fair crack at the title again. With Khabib gone, the division is thin at the top. Poirier is the only top Lightweight outside Charles Oliveira to win their last fight.

Hopefully, Khabib makes a clearer decision soon. This decision will impact the future of the entire division after all.