After another win at UFC 219 against Edson Barboza, Khabib Nurmagomedov has made a clear case for himself as the frontrunner for the next title shot at 155-pounds. However, he is not interested in fighting for Tony Ferguson’s interim belt.
Manager Ali Abdelaziz recently spoke on behalf of Khabib, stating that they would only be fighting for the real 155-pound title, which is currently in the possession of the absent Conor McGregor.
“Khabib’s next fight, we’re not fighting for no damn interim belt,” Abdelaziz said (via MMA Fighting). “We want the real belt, or we don’t want nothing. We appreciate everything the UFC has done for us, but it’s time for a real belt. Nobody is interested in fighting for a fake belt. Tony Ferguson has a fake belt. Nobody wants this.”
Khabib has been criticized for his frequent layoffs due to various reasons, but he intends to change it this year by fighting at least three times. According to his father and coach Abdulmanap, they would be looking at the possibility of facing Eddie Alvarez next, if McGregor and Ferguson end up fighting in a unification bout.