Tony Ferguson vs. Kevin Lee Set for Interim UFC Lightweight Title Fight
With Conor McGregor less than two weeks away from his fight against Floyd Mayweather, the lightweight division will move forward without him, as a new interim UFC champion will be crowned.
Tony Ferguson will face off with Kevin Lee in a fight to determine the new interim titleholder at 155 pounds with the fight tentatively scheduled for Oct. 7 at UFC 216 in Las Vegas.
UFC president Dana White announced the fight following the Tuesday Night Contender Series in Las Vegas.
White also added that Lee got the shot at the interim title after top ranked contender Khabib Nurmagomedov was unable to accept the fight due to injury. MMAWeekly.com reached out to Nurmagomedov's management team for comment, but they have offered no response as of yet.
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Ferguson (22-3) has won his last nine fights in a row as he's climbed the rankings in the lightweight division, including a win over former champion Rafael dos Anjos last November. Ferguson was previously scheduled for an interim lightweight title fight in March, but Nurmagomedov was unable to make weight and the bout was scrapped with just 24 hours to go until the event.
As for Lee (16-2), he will get his first crack at UFC gold as well while riding a five-fight win streak including four of those victories coming by way of knockout or submission.
Most recently, Lee dispatched former “Ultimate Fighter” winner Michael Chiesa by first round rear naked choke to put himself into position for a top fight in the division.
Now, Lee will get his wish as he faces Ferguson with the interim lightweight championship on the line.
