Fans could finally be treated to the lightweight championship fight they've been longing to see for years. UFC president Dana White has told ESPN that the promotion is targeting a lightweight championship bout between current champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and the No. 1 contender Tony Ferguson in April.
The highly anticipated fight will likely serve as the main event for the April 18th pay-per-view event in Brooklyn. Nurmagomedov reportedly signed his bout agreement to face Ferguson in April, according to his manager, Ali Abdelaziz. Ferguson, meanwhile, has not yet signed, but is reportedly interested, "pending further negotiations."
Ferguson challenging Nurmagomedov for the lightweight title makes the most sense right now. He's the current No. 1 contender, holds an all-time record of 15-1 in the Octagon, and is riding a 12-fight win streak. He has recent TKO wins over Anthony Pettis and Donald Cerrone.
Nurmagomedov is a perfect 28-0 and is coming off a win over Dustin Poirier at UFC 242 in September to unifty the UFC lightweight championship. He soundly defeated Conor McGregor back in October 2018, but was subsequently suspended following a post-match melee.
Tony Ferguson versus Khabib Nurmagomedov has been a longtime in the making. The two had signed to fight each other four times in the past, with injuries always getting in the way. Most recently, it was Ferguson who was forced to withdraw when he tripped over a television set in 2018 and injured his knee. This led to him being stripped of the interim lightweight title that he won by beating Kevin Lee in October 2017. Nurmagomedov went on to beat Al Iaquinta in April 2018 to claim the vacant title.
"Fifth time is the charm," Abdelaziz told ESPN. "Tony has been asking for this ass-whipping for a long time, and he deserves it. He's earned it. Khabib wanted this fight, Tony wanted it, the UFC wanted it and the fans wanted it. This fight is for the fans."