The highly anticipated UFC lightweight title match between current champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and challenger Tony Ferguson is officially set.
Following reports that both fighters had agreed to a championship bout for April, the contracts have now been signed, making it official.
Nurmagomedov had actually signed his contract for the bout earlier this week, but Ferguson and his representatives from Ballengee Group met with UFC executives on Friday in Las Vegas, where he formally agreed to the 155-pound title fight. Both UFC president Dana White and Ferguson's management confirmed the bout.
Of course, we've gotten this far before with both Nurmagomedov and Ferguson. The two had signed to fight each other four other times in the past dating back to 2015, and all four times the bookings fell through. Nurmagomedov pulled out of the fights in 2015 and 2017 due to injury and weight issues, while Ferguson withdrew in 2016 and 2018 due to injuries. Hopefully, the fifth time is a charm.
Current lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is 28-0 and coming off a win over Dustin Poirier at UFC 242 in September. He also defeated Conor McGregor back in October 0218. Ferguson, meanwile, holds an all-time record of 15-1 in the Octagon, but is on an impressive 12-fight win streak, with recent TKO wins over Anthony Pettis and Donald Cerrone.
The highly anticipated title fight serve as the main event for the UFC pay-per-view event on April 18. No number has been assigned to the event as the UFC has not yet announced its schedule for the first quarter of 2020.