A rumoured match-up between UFC lightweight interim champion Tony Ferguson and number 2 ranked Khabib Nurmagomedov is set for UFC 223, according to UFC president Dana White.
White made the announcement during an appearance on Toucher and Rich, a Boston-area radio show.
This counts as the fourth time Ferguson and Nurmagomedov have been matched against one another. The first cancelled bout came at the TUF 22 Finale in 2015. This was due to a rib injury to Nurmagomedov.
They were then scheduled to compete at UFC on FOX 19 in 2016. But a Ferguson injury scuppered those plans.
Most recently, the pair were set to fight at UFC 209, but this bout was called off in the last minute after Nurmagomedov was hospitalized during his weight cut.
UFC 223 is booked for April 7th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. It is unclear if this fight is for Ferguson’s interim lightweight title, or an undisputed lightweight title (which would imply the stripping of current UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor).
Days earlier, Dana White suggested that this match-up was in the works as well as the possibility that the Notorious one may be getting stripped of his title.
“If [McGregor] comes back in September, that’s almost two years — that can’t happen. It’s not fair to everybody else. Love Conor, respect Conor, love everything that he’s done for this company — everybody knows that; I say it all the time. The belt would have to move on.”
McGregor’s last MMA fight was when he won the UFC’s lightweight title at UFC 205 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. It’s unclear when, where, and against whom McGregor will return.