Khabib Nurmagomedov was the first choice for Tony Ferguson’s opponent.
On Oct. 7, Ferguson will take on Kevin Lee for the interim Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight title. The bout will headline UFC 216 inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
During a recent episode of the “Watch List,” UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby said the promotion initially wanted to book Nurmagomedov vs. Ferguson for UFC 217 inside Madison Square Garden in New York City (via MMAJunkie.com):
“Just to clear things up, a fight was offered to Nurmagomedov on Nov. 4 (at UFC 217), and at that point, we were trying to put cards together toward the end of the year. I was informed that (Nurmagomedov) could not make that date, and he probably wouldn’t be able to fight until at least December, so that left Tony without a dance partner.”
