Earlier tonight UFC President Dana White announced that an interim lightweight title fight between surging division contenders Tony Ferguson and Kevin Lee will be taking place at UFC 216 on October 7 in Las Vegas.
The interim title fight between Lee and Ferguson came as a surprise to many, as the original plan was to have undefeated lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov square off with “El Cucuy”.
Dana White explained why the undefeated Russian star, Nurmagomedov, will not being competing at UFC 216.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) August 16, 2017
“Khabib’s not ready,” stated Dana White when asked what happened to Nurmagomedov. “Yeah, he had surgery and he’s just not ready. You know, so, it is what it is.”
Dana White also confirmed that the Ferguson vs Lee interim lightweight fight will NOT be the main event of UFC 216 on October 7.
This news of course opens the door for a potential Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov bout later this winter.