Dana White: Tony Ferguson-Kevin Lee ‘Likely’ This October for Interim UFC Title

UFC president Dana White informed members of the media present for his “Contender Series” show Tuesday night that another interim title is coming to the promotion.

Top lightweight contenders Tony Ferguson and Kevin Lee are expected to meet in October for the interim belt. Conor McGregor is the current UFC lightweight champion, but has yet to defend the title – and of course, is scheduled to box Floyd Mayweather next weekend.

Dana White just said Ferguson vs. Lee for the interim lightweight title is happening. Was shaky on date but said he thought 216 in October.

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) August 16, 2017

That likely puts an end to the long-planned-out Ferguson vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov fight that has been scrapped several times. Lee was passed over for a spot on The Ultimate Fighter as a coach, but it is possible this was the UFC’s plan all along.

The last Ferguson-Nurmagomedov scheduled fight was also to crown an interim champion.

UFC 216 is set for Detroit this October and the card does not yet have a main event. Lee is a native of Michigan.