UFC 216 has got its first title fight. Sorta. Dana White announced last night during the media scrum after his Tuesday Night Contender Series event that Tony Ferguson and Kevin Lee will battle for the interim UFC Lightweight Title later this fall. UFC 216 takes place October 7th in the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. It is yet to be determined if this fight will headline the card.
An interim title in this weight class actually makes sense (for a change), as the man pictured above (Mr. Conor McGregor) has yet to defend his lightweight belt that he won last November. Something about wanting to take a boxing match or something first. But what of top contender Khabib Nurmagomedov, he of the pristine 24-0 record? White says he’s “not ready” to compete yet due to having surgery. More likely, the UFC isn’t too keen on putting him into another high profile fight after a bad weight cut caused him to back out last minute of his last fight against Ferguson this past March.
The Eagle notwithstanding, you can’t argue with the choice of fighters to compete for the interim strap. Ferguson hasn’t lost in nine fights, a span of over five years, a tremendous feat in a weight class as deep as lightweight. His only blemish in 13 UFC fights is a decision loss to Michael Johnson. His opponent, The Motown Phenom, is also on a great run, winning five straight fights, the last four by stoppage. He’s 9-2 in the UFC.
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