Khabib Nurmagomedov will apparently face some big stakes in his long-awaited return to the octagon.
As reported on Wednesday, Nurmagomedov (22-0 MMA, 6-0) is slated to fight fellow lightweight contender Tony Ferguson (20-3 MMA, 10-1 UFC) at UFC on FOX 19 in April.
And according to Nurmagomedov, the bout, which is expected to take place April 16 and air on FOX, will be a five-round title-eliminator, meaning it’ll be the event’s headliner (via Instagram):
MMAjunkie contacted UFC officials for confirmation but didn’t get an immediate reply.
The bout features two of the division’s best fighters; Nurmagomedov is No. 2 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA lightweight rankings, and Ferguson is No. 3.
In an eight-year pro career, Nurmagomedov is 22-0 with 14 stoppages. In April 2014, the 27-year-old defeated now-champ Rafael dos Anjos, but a series of knee injuries have kept him on the sidelines as planned bouts with Donald Cerrone (May 2015) and Ferguson (December 2015) subsequently fell apart.
Assuming he doesn’t fall victim to another injury, he now meets 31-year-old Ferguson, who’s 7-0 with five stoppages and five fight-night bonuses since a May 2012 loss to Michael Johnson. “The Ultimate Fighter 13” winner has three straight “Performance of the Night” awards for his recent wins over Gleison Tibau, Josh Thomson and Edson Barboza.
Both fighters are obviously anxious for a crack at the belt. Their potential title shot will come against either current lightweight champ dos Anjos (25-7 MMA, 14-5 UFC) or featherweight champ and challenger Conor McGregor (19-2 MMA, 7-0 UFC), who looks to claim the 155-pound title on March 5 at UFC 196.
For more on UFC on FOX 19, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
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