UFC 209: Khabib vs. Ferguson Confirmed for Interim Lightweight Title
Despite flip-flopping rumors of near confirmation and then scrapping the matchup entirely, UFC 209 will host Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson.
Just a little over a day after a report came out that top UFC lightweight contender Khabib Nurmagomedov had moved on from Ferguson and was persuing a fight against the next available lightweight, which would likely be Michael Chiesa, reports began to surface that in fact the fight was official after both Nurmagomedov and Ferguson revealed that they have begun training for bouts.
Brett Okamoto of ESPN confirmed these recent rumors with an interview with Dana White, in which White says they only await Ferguson’s signed contract.
Nurmagomedov recently offered to pay Ferguson to accept the fight, $200,000 to be exact, but Ferguson did not accept. Also, Nurmagomedov gave Ferguson a deadline of only a few days to reach a financial agreement with UFC or else they would be moving on to other contenders. It does appear that the Tony Ferguson and the promotion have reached an agreement now, and the bout is moving forward.
The fight is also for the interim title, which means we will be treated to five rounds of action between the top lightweights in the world in what is expected to be the co-main event of the March pay-per-view card.
Nurmagomedov is coming off a dominant third round submission over Michael Johnson back in New York at UFC 205. The 24-0 Russian Sambo star has been adamant about a title shot for a while now, but injuries have hindered him quite frequently in the past. However with his frequent injuries hopefully behind him, you can never be too sure with AKA, Nurmagomedov will look to put Ferguson away and win his third straight since his two-year injury hiatus to secure his matchup with lightweight champion Conor McGregor.
Tony Ferguson has had quite the stretch of success, being one of the hottest fighters on the entire UFC roster as of right now. A nine-fight winning streak with wins over the likes Rafael dos Anjos, Edson Barboza, and Josh Thompson has skyrocketed him all the way to the top of the lightweight division. Tony Ferguson has been after Conor McGregor for over a year now, similar to about 75-percent of the UFC roster, and finally, with a win over the undefeated Russian, Ferguson will get his long-desired wish.
UFC 209 will be headlined by a welterweight title rematch between current champion Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson after the pair fought to a majority draw at UFC 205. Mark Hunt also should be making his return against Alistair Overeem, and while it is still foggy as to how Hunt will be dealt with in light of the recent lawsuit, as of right now the fight is still on.
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