Tony Ferguson vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov official as UFC 223 headliner; title stakes still unclear

This much we know: Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov will headline UFC 223.

Here’s what we don’t know: whether interim lightweight titleholder Ferguson (23-3 MMA, 13-1 UFC) and undefeated Nurmagomedov (25-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) are fighting for Ferguson’s belt, or if the undisputed title will be stripped from Conor McGregor (21-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC) and put up for grabs at the April event.

On Wednesday, UFC President Dana White told Boston’s “Toucher and Rich” show that Ferguson vs. Nurmagomedov would fight at UFC 223.

Today, UFC executives and made it official as UFC 223’s headliner. It takes place April 7 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., and the main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

As part of today’s confirmation, officials announced they’ll hold a press conference on Friday with Ferguson and Nurmagomedov, as well as the UFC 222 headliners: featherweight champion Max Holloway (19-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) and opponent Frankie Edgar (22-5-1 MMA, 16-5-1 UFC).

Here’s the description of Ferguson vs. Nurmagomedov from the release:

Fans will get their first look at their UFC 223 main event, the highly-anticipated bout between interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson and the undefeated powerhouse Khabib Nurmagomedov. Ferguson looks to extend his 10-fight win streak while Khabib looks to claim UFC gold for the first time while maintaining his perfect record.

The press conference takes place Friday at TD Garden 5 p.m. ET, and MMAjunkie will be on site with full coverage.

Perhaps we’ll find out then if McGregor, indeed, will be stripped of the belt, as White previously suggested.

Ferguson and Nurmagomedov have been booked against each other three prior times without a fight actually materializing. After each pulled out of one scheduled bout due to injury, Ferguson, No. 2 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA lightweight rankings, and No. 3 Nurmagomedov were most recently signed to fight each other at UFC 209 in March 2017. The fight for the then-vacant interim title fell apart on weigh-in day, though, when Nurmagomedov was hospitalized after a failed weight cut.

Ferguson subsequently beat Kevin Lee for the interim belt. Nurmagomedov, meanwhile, made a successful return to the octagon this past month at UFC 219, where he dominated fellow contender Edson Barboza for a decisive decision victory.

For more on UFC 223, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.