UFC president Dana White appeared recently on the Toucher and Rich show, and said that UFC interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson would defend vs. undefeated Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 223 on April 7 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
“Fans will get their first look at their UFC 223 main event, the highly-anticipated bout between interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson and the undefeated powerhouse Khabib Nurmagomedov,” read an official release, confirming the news. “Ferguson looks to extend his 10-fight win streak while Khabib looks to claim UFC gold for the first time while maintaining his perfect record.”
It is not known whether the fight will be for the interim title, or if the UFC will strip division champion Conor McGregor, and make the UFC 223 main event for the undisputed title. There is a press conference on Friday at TD Garden in Boston at 5:00 p.m. ET which may answer the question.
Three times previously the fight has been made. Each fighter has pulled out with an injury, and then Nurmagomedov suffered liver issues while cutting weight and dropped out the day before UFC 209 in March of 2017. Hopefully the fourth time is a charm.
