UFC 223: Tony Ferguson set to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov for lightweight title
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A Ferguson-Nurmagomedov fight in April could mean Conor McGregor gets stripped of his lightweight title
UFC president Dana White has confirmed that a battle between UFC interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson and undefeated Russian contender Khabib Nurmagomedov has reportedly been booked for UFC 223 on 7 April at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
White is in Boston ahead of UFC 220: Miocic vs Ngannou this weekend, and appeared on the city’s popular show ‘Toucher and Rich’ to confirm news of the Ferguson-Nurmagomedov matchup, saying: “That fight is going to happen. It will happen.”
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US outlet MMAjunkie initially reported the news of the fight being in the works last weekend, but White has now seemingly confirmed it, which could set up a fascinating series of events in the UFC’s lightweight division.
Ferguson (23-3) captured the interim lightweight title with a submission victory over Kevin Lee at UFC 216 last October, while Nurmagomedov extended his perfect professional record to 25-0 with a one-sided beating of Brazilian striker Edson Barboza at UFC 219 in Las Vegas on 30 December.
The pair have been matched to compete three times before, without success. A rib injury ruled Nurmagomedov out of their first scheduled meeting at The Ultimate Fighter Finale in December 2015, then a second attempt also fell through when Ferguson sustained a lung injury in April 2016.
A third attempt to match the pair would have seen Ferguson and Nurmagomedov do battle for the interim lightweight title at UFC 209 in March last year, but the Russian star was hospitalised after suffering complications during his weight cut, forcing a third cancellation.
Khabib Nurmagomedov
Now it finally looks like the pair will meet in the octagon at the fourth attempt. This time, however, there could be an even bigger prize at stake, with White suggesting superstar champion Conor McGregor could soon be stripped of his undisputed lightweight title.
The Dubliner defeated Eddie Alvarez to win the title back at UFC 205 in November 2016, but hasn’t fought in the octagon since.
White is on record as saying that if McGregor doesn’t come back soon, the UFC will have little option but to relieve ‘The Notorious’ of the undisputed title.
“If he comes back in September, that’s almost two years,” said White last weekend.
“That can’t happen. It’s not fair to everybody else.
“I love Conor, respect Conor, love everything that he’s done for this company. Everybody knows that. I say it all the time. [But] the belt would have to move on. You do Khabib vs Tony. We’re working on that fight now. If and when Conor comes back, he would get the first crack at the title.”
With Ferguson-Nurmagomedov now set to take place in April, it would appear likely that McGregor will be stripped of his title, with the winner of that match-up becoming the undisputed champion, setting up a mouthwatering potential clash with McGregor if the Dubliner makes his return in the autumn.
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