Reports Claim Ferguson vs. Nurmagomedov Set For April, Ali Abdelaziz Denies it

Speculation is running wild when it comes to a potential lightweight title showdown between Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov.

UFC president Dana White had the mixed martial arts community buzzing when he claimed he’d strip Conor McGregor of the 155-pound gold if he wouldn’t return before September. That would make Ferguson go from the interim title holder, to undisputed champion. He also said he’d book a title bout between Ferguson and Nurmagomedov.

A report from BJPenn.com‘s Chris Taylor claims the fight is a done deal. Taylor said sources informed him that “El Cucuy” and “The Eagle” will meet inside the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY for UFC 223 on April 7.

Ariel Helwani reached out to Nurmagomedov’s manager Ali Abdelaziz to see if the report is accurate. Abdelaziz denied that a bout agreement had been signed:

The site @bjpenndotcom is reporting that Ferguson vs. Khabib for the official belt is a done deal for April 7 in Brooklyn. I asked Khabib’s manager @AliAbdelaziz00 to confirm and he vehemently said there is no deal in place at this time for that fight. (cont’d)

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) January 16, 2018

In addition to that, Helwani reached out to sources close to McGregor’s camp. They said that the “Notorious” one hasn’t been stripped of his gold:

Furthermore, sources close to McGregor say he has not been stripped of the lightweight belt at this time. Remember this article from Friday: https://t.co/YyqZVYYZRl. Khabib's team refuses to fight for the interim belt. That is key. Few hurdles here. (cont'd)

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) January 16, 2018