UFC 210 Preview, Fight Card, Latest News: UFC Failed to Add Ferguson vs. Nurmagomedov to UFC 210
When the interim lightweight title bout between Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov at 209 got canceled at the final hour, many expected the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to rebook the fight right away. Unfortunately, fight fans might not see the two fight anytime soon.
According to MMAFighting's Ariel Helwani, the UFC tried to add the bout to UFC 210, but their efforts were unsuccessful. Interestingly, he also revealed that they also tried to book a match between Ferguson and former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez, but that one didn't happen either.
Alvarez has already been booked to face Dustin Poirier at UFC 211, so he's no longer available. But why did the UFC failed to secure a fight between Ferguson and Nurmagomedov? Helwani did not really elaborate on this.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Luke Rockhold did say that Nurmagomedov has already recovered and is ready to face Ferguson again.
Well, Ferguson was upset when he got less than half of his $250,000 show purse, so some observers have speculated that money could be an issue. The featured matchup between the two has already been canceled on three separate occasions, but Ferguson told Helwani that he's still open to the idea of fighting Nurmagomedov.
"Khabib four would be absolutely crazy, but, there would have to be some things secured if he doesn't show up or doesn't make weight. I'd like to get my pay, that would be beautiful; and then his show money would be great because this would be the fourth time. He would have to take a loss. This is a profession we are in and that's not too much to ask if he would agree on it," Ferguson told Helwani on The MMA Hour.
This is the bout that hardcore mixed martial arts (MMA) fans want to see. So, let's hope that the UFC can sort things out and make the fight happen.
