After UFC London has wrapped up this past weekend, the mixed martial arts (MMA) world is now waiting for UFC 223 on pay-per-view (PPV) which features a lightweight fight fans have been waiting for forever.
Interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson will be taking on undefeated No. 1-ranked 155-pounder Khabib Nurmagomedov for the undisputed division throne.
Conor McGregor is currently the undisputed lightweight champion of the world, but UFC President Dana White says he will be stripped as soon as Ferguson vs. Nurmagomedov starts.
McGregor has not competed in the UFC since November of 2016. Ferguson won the interim strap last October when he defeated Kevin Lee.
Nurmagomedov recently defeated striker Edson Barboza at UFC 219 to solidify himself as the next challenger for Ferguson.
Ferguson has been on an absolute tear as of late, racking up a 10-fight win streak in the UFC's most talent-stacked division. Nurmagomedov has yet to be defeated with an insane 25-0 record.
He hopes to solidify himself as the best lightweight in the world with a potential win over Ferguson. Kevin Lee recently commented on Nurmagomedov, who he has been calling out for months, and said he wasn't impressed with his performance against Barboza (quotes via MMA Fighting):
“I wasn’t too impressed with Khabib,” said Lee. “I’m gonna do ten times the work on Edson. . . Khabib looked terrible in that fight. He was just barreling straight forward like a tank.”
"The Eagle" fired back by critiquing Lee's performance against Ferguson for the interim title, saying it showed Lee has 'very small heart' inside the cage:
“He wants to be tough but he has very small heart,” said Nurmagomedov. “Very small heart. When he fought with Tony Ferguson, between second and third round, you guys can watch his face and understand everything.
"Face never lie. His eyes - when Tony Ferguson talks about, ‘This is my night!’ his face agrees with this.”
What are your thoughts on Nurmagomedov questioning Lee's heart after his loss to Tony Ferguson for the interim lightweight championship? Do you think that Lee lacks heart after seeing his performance inside the cage against "El Cucuy? And how do you think the fight between Nurmagomedov and Ferguson will go down next month? Let us know your thoughts on the matter in the comments section below!
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