REPORT: FERGUSON VS. NURMAGOMEVOD FOR INTERIM TITLE?
After a month of much uncertainty regarding the UFC Lightweight Title picture, some clarity now looks to be forming.
Bloody Elbow has cited reports from Russian website Izvestia.ru stating that an Interim Lightweight Championship fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson is in the works for UFC 209 on March 4 from Las Vegas.
The original Russian article states that fight proposals are in the hands of both fighters and that an announcement is expected in the coming days.
Just last week, Jose Aldo told MMA Fighting that UFC proposed an Interim Lightweight Title fight for the same date that was to be announced imminently.
UFC has released no card details for UFC 209 as of yet, but with a big show coming on Friday, that might be the time to announce the main event.
Hiscoe’s Analysis: Yes it’s another Interim Title fight, but if they have to make one in this division, this is the fight to make. There is some intrigue in Aldo moving up to 155 to fight Ferguson or Nurmagomedov, but these are clearly the top two contenders in the division and Aldo is best to stay at 145 to try to resolve things there rather than muddy up another weight class. UFC’s lack of top quality main events for early 2017 is very clear here, but it will still be a very interesting fight nonetheless.
SUNDAY NEWS & NOTES…
-Junior dos Santos and Stefan Struve, who are scheduled to fight each other in February, have both offered to step in for Cain Velasquez to fight Fabricio Werdum this week at UFC 207. UFC has announced though that there will be no replacement and the card will proceed with 10 fights.
NOW CHECK OUT YESTERDAY’S UPDATE: SATURDAY NEWS DIGEST 12/24: Amanda Nunes and Ronda Rousey excused from media press conference before next week’s UFC 207 (w/Cervantes Analysis)
(MMATorch’s Daily News Digest features the top story of the day with added analysis, plus smaller tidbits in the News Notes section. Mike Hiscoe, who writes the News Digest Sundays through Thursdays, has a background in film criticism and previously wrote for the DVD Town and Movie Metropolis websites. His passion for Mixed Martial Arts goes back to 2005, but it was in the promotion for UFC 60: Hughes vs. Gracie that he really got hooked.”This is my house, I build it,” is still among the all-time great UFC promos. You can follow Mike on social media under the tag @mikehiscoe. He now provides his experienced writing and perspective on live MMA events for MMATorch.)
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