It was reported yesterday that Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov had agreed terms to meet at UFC 223 in Brooklyn, New York, on April 7th. That news has now been made official by the UFC in a press release issued this afternoon.
UFC president Dana White announced yesterday on local radio in Boston that the two lightweight contenders will meet at the event in the Barclays Center — the fourth such time that UFC officials have attempted to book a match-up between the two, following three ill-fated bookings which fell apart for various reasons since December 2015.
The bout will be a five-round affair and has been announced as being a bout with Ferguson’s interim UFC lightweight title on the line. The UFC will hold a press conference on Friday at 5pm ET featuring Ferguson and Nurmagomedov, as well as UFC 222 headliners Max Holloway and Frankie Edgar.
The press release from the UFC reads: “Additionally, fans will get their first look at the UFC 223 main event, the highly anticipated bout between interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson and undefeated powerhouse Khabib Nurmagomedov. Ferguson looks to extend his 10-fight winning streak while Khabib looks to claim UFC gold for the first time while maintaining his perfect record. UFC 223 takes place on April 7th at the Barclays Arena in Brooklyn, NY.”
It is also understood that a women’s strawweight title rematch between champion Rose Namajunas and Joanna Jedrzejczyk, as well as a lightweight clash between Al Iaquinta and Paul Felder.
