Tony Ferguson has put pen to paper, signing off on his planned title fight with UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov this April.
The final piece of the Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson title fight has fallen into place. Late Thursday, EPSN was first to report that that Ferguson had signed his bout agreement for the fight. With the contract signed, the fight is a done deal, as Nurmagomedov had already signed off on his end.
The fight will mark the fifth time the pair have been linked to a fight with one another, with injuries and health issues, twice for each man, scuttling prior efforts to see a bout materialize.
Ferguson (25–3), the challenger, will enter the fight on a 12-fight win streak, undefeated since a loss to Michael Johnson years ago. The 35-year old former interim champion is coming off a Fight of the Night TKO win over Donald Cerrone. During his most recent streak, he also holds wins over the likes of Josh Thompson, Rafael dos Anjos, Kevin Lee, and Anthony Pettis.
Champ Khabib Nurmagomedov was last seen submitting Dustin Poirier in their title fight at UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi. The fight was the first for ‘The Eagle’ since he incurred a nine month suspension for his actions following his first title defense, against Conor McGregor at UFC 229. That win was marred by Nurmagomedov jumping into the crowd post-fight to attack a member of McGregor’s team.
Nurmagomedov vs. Ferguson is expected to take place on April 18, 2020, at an event yet to be announced. The PPV card is likely to be UFC 248 or 249, depending on whether the promotion hosts a PPV event in March. Currently, UFC 246: McGregor vs. Cerrone is slated for January 18, while UFC 247: Jones vs. Reyes is slotted in for February 8, 2020.
