(Courtesy of UFC)
Interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson was a prospect when he knocked out Katsunori Kikuno at UFC 173 in 2014. Ferguson clipped Kikuno late in the opening frame with a right hand that shut the lights out on the Japanese fighter. Since the win over Kikuno, Ferguson has reeled of nine consecutive wins. He’s currently riding a ten-fight winning streak.
Ferguson won the interim 155-pound title in his last outing at UFC 216 in October by defeating Kevin Lee by submission in the final minute of the final round. He faces top contender Khabib Nurmagomedov in the UFC 223 main event on April 7 for the undisputed lightweight title.
Conor McGregor currently holds the UFC lightweight belt, but hasn’t fought since November 2016. UFC president Dana White has stated that the fight promotion plans to strip McGregor of his title prior to the UFC 223 showdown between Ferguson and Nurmagomedov, making the winner the undisputed UFC lightweight champion.
