White: McGregor should fight Khabib-Gaethje winner

UFC president Dana White wants to see Conor McGregor wait to fight the winner of the planned lightweight title unification bout between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje.

"I think that's the smartest move for him," White told the "Talk The Talk" podcast earlier this week. "But, you know him. Maybe he wants to fight before that, and if he does, we can figure something out. But I think that's the move for him right now."

McGregor returned to the Octagon in January as a welterweight, but White said even before that fight he wanted the Irishman to eventually drop back down to lightweight and challenge the winner of the then-scheduled title bout between Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson.

Since McGregor finished Donald Cerrone at UFC 246, the former two-division champion has been linked to several potential opponents, including welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, BMF titleholder Jorge Masvidal, rival Nate Diaz, former middleweight champ Anderson Silva, and even Gaethje (before he won the interim title).

Nurmagomedov and Gaethje are expected to meet later this year, though a date has not yet been finalized. Gaethje beat Ferguson for the interim belt in May.