This April’s UFC 223 card has a huge main event, as UFC Interim Lightweight Champion Tony Ferguson may be facing #2 Khabib Nurmagomedov for the UFC Lightweight Title.
If the Tass.Ru report is true and Ferguson becomes the UFC Lightweight Champion, it would mean that current champion Conor McGregor has been stripped of the gold. McGregor first won the title when he defeated Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205, but he has never defended the belt once.
UFC President Dana White noted after UFC Fight Night St. Louis that the UFC was working to make the fight happen and that McGregor would be likely stripped of his title as a result.
The bout should be officially announced by the UFC this Saturday Night at UFC 220.
Ferguson (23-3-0) became the UFC Interim Lightweight Champion when he submitted Kevin Lee in the main event of UFC 216. Ferguson also enters the bout on the strength of a ten fight winning streak and he hasn’t suffered a defeat in almost six years. Ferguson only saw three of his bout go the distance during the latest winning streak and two of those came against former UFC/Strikeforce Lightweight Champions.
Nurmagomedov (25-0-0) has already earned nine wins in UFC competition, last defeating Edson Barboza by decision at UFC 219. Nurmagomedov has been inactive in recent years due to injuries, having competed only three times since 2014. Nurmagomedov would also be competing for a title for the first time in his professional MMA career, which has lasted almost a decade now.
UFC 223 takes place on Saturday, April 7 from a location to be announced with Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, with a post-show podcast to follow.
