Over the weekend, UFC president Dana White an
interim lightweight title fight between Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier. The fight will be the main event at UFC 236 in Atlanta on April 13. It's an intriguing fight that'll likely determine who will face Khabib Nurmagomedov for the lightweight belt once he returns from suspension later this year.
The matchup, however, was a bit of a surprise. While it was rumored that Holloway would move to lightweight, the opponent was expected to be top contender Tony Ferguson. According to White, that was the initial plan, but Ferguson reportedly turned down the fight.
Tony Ferguson sort of addressed the situation on Instagram, hinting that his return from knee surgery at UFC 229 last October may have been too soon. Although he defeated Anthony Pettis, it seems his return may have had a larger impact on his overall health.
While some will take pity on Ferguson's situation, one person who doesn't feel sorry for him is current lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. Responding to Ferguson's post, Nurmagomedov called him a great fighter but said he had missed his chance for a title opportunity. Nurmagomedov urged Ferguson to either fight or wait for him to serve his suspension.
I want to remind you guys, that before I become champion, I was close to the title fight 3 times and all 3 times I missed my opportunity. First was in July 2016 when I was offered to fight in Ramadan month and I turned it down, second was UFC 205 NYC when I was offered a title fight, bout agreement signed, but my title was given away, you know the story. Third time was UFC 209 where I was hospitalized and almost died. But after every single fail I were said: you missed your chance, earn your shot with one more victory. Tony you had your chance and you missed it, and that’s your fault only. You know that I’m disqualified and can’t fight, but it’s not fair to strip me off the title, I fought 3 times in 9 months. I won and defended my belt. As a fighter you deserve a title fight, you are great fighter and opponent, but now you have to fight or wait for my DQ to be over and fight(but UFC doesn’t want it). I don’t understand your offenses, if you fell down, you got to get up, not complain. #ufc #mma #ufclightweight
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Nurmagomedov is currently serving a nine-month suspension by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for his role in a post-fight brawl following his victory over Conor McGregor at UFC 229 in October. He's eligible to fight on July 6, but is eyeing a possible return in New York in November.