It's official: Khabib Nurmagomedov, Tony Ferguson meet for interim 155 title in UFC 209 co-main
The rumored lightweight between highly ranked Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov now is official for UFC 209 in March, and the interim title will be on the line.
The UFC tonight announced the fight, which MMAjunkie previously reported had verbal agreements in place. With newly crowned lightweight champion Conor McGregor (21-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC) not expected to return to action until past the midway point of 2017, the promotion will slap an interim belt on the winner, who is then expected to fight McGregor to unify the titles.
UFC 209 takes place March 4 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card will air on pay-per-view following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.
The undefeated Nurmagomedov is the No. 2 fighter in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA lightweight rankings. He has won eight straight fights. No. 3 Ferguson has won nine in a row.
Nurmagomedov and Ferguson were booked to fight each other twice before. First, they were to meet at the TUF 22 Finale in December 2015, but Nurmagomedov was forced out with an injury. They were rebooked for UFC on FOX 19 in April 2016, but shortly before the fight, Ferguson had to pull out. Nurmagomedov fought short-notice newcomer Darrel Horcher and won with a second-round TKO in his first fight in two years.
The two have sparred plenty in the media, trading barbs on Twitter when fists weren’t in the cards. They recently went another round online.
Ferguson will have just turned 33 when the fight takes place. He hasn’t lost in nearly five years – a unanimous decision setback to Michael Johnson. Since then, his nine straight wins have included six stoppages and an impressive seven fight-night bonuses, including a rare double for “Performance of the Night” and “Fight of the Night” for a second-round submission of Edson Barboza, who stepped in for Nurmagomedov at the TUF 22 Finale.
Other skins on Ferguson’s resume include Abel Trujillo, Gleison Tibau, Josh Thomson and, most recently, a unanimous decision over former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos in the UFC Fight Night 98 main event in Mexico City this past November.
Nurmagomedov, a 28-year-old Dagestan native, has four of his eight UFC wins by stoppage. His resume also features victories over Tibau, Trujillo and dos Anjos, all by decision. His win over dos Anjos came at UFC on FOX 11 in April 2014, nearly a year prior to the Brazilian winning the 155-pound title against Anthony Pettis. After his return this past April against Horcher, he submitted Johnson in the third round at UFC 205 in November at Madison Square Garden.
With the addition, the latest UFC 209 card now includes:
Champ Tyron Woodley vs. Stephen Thompson – for welterweight title
Tony Ferguson vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov – for interim lightweight title
Mark Hunt vs. Alistair Overeem
Mirsad Bektic vs. Darren Elkins
Todd Duffee vs. Mark Godbeer
David Teymur vs. Lando Vannata
Paul Craig vs. Tyson Pedro
Ed Herman vs. Igor Pokrajac
Be a Warrior, not a Worrier
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