UFC 205: Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Michael Johnson official for New York City

It’s far from a title shot, but at least Khabib Nurmagomedov gets to fight at the historic UFC 205 pay-per-view (PPV) event at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Company president Dana White just confirmed at the kickoff press conference (watch it here) that “The Eagle” will face Michael Johnson on Nov. 12, 2016, in “The Big Apple” after his calls for a Lightweight shot once again fell on deaf ears.

The WME-IMG-owned mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion announced that Conor McGregor would headline UFC 205 opposite 155-pound champion Eddie Alvarez, leaving Nurmagomedov out in the cold once again. Upon hearing the news, Nurmagomedov — who dubbed the promotion a “freak show” in his fit of rage — pleaded with White to make room for him on the already-stacked PPV event.

Ask and you shall receive, provided title shots (at least for now) are not part of the deal.

Johnson is coming off a first-round knockout of Dustin Poirier at UFC Fight Night 94 (see it again here), giving him his first win in more than one year. Afterward. “The Menace” called for big fights to expedite his path to to gold and up his bank account.

And it doesn’t get bigger than Nurmagomedov, who has long been dubbed one of the most dominant fighters in the division and rightful owner of a championship fight. Meanwhile, a win for Nurmagomedov should (hopefully) finally solidify that his No. 1 ranking isn’t going unnoticed in the title race, while a victory for Johnson likely leapfrogs him close to the top of the rankings.

UFC 205 will also feature a co-main event pitting Welterweight king Tyron Woodley against Stephen Thompson, while women’s Strawweight title holder Joanna Jędrzejczyk defends her strap against Karolina Kowalkiewicz. In addition, Chris Weidman is expected to face Yoel Romero in an intriguing Middleweight showdown while Donald Cerrone faces Kelvin Gastelum.

To see who else is fighting on the stacked event click here.

It’s far from a title shot, but at least Khabib Nurmagomedov gets to fight at the historic UFC 205 pay-per-view (PPV) event at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Company president Dana White just confirmed at the kickoff press conference (watch it here) that “The Eagle” will face Michael Johnson on Nov. 12, 2016, in “The Big Apple” after his calls for a Lightweight shot once again fell on deaf ears.

The WME-IMG-owned mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion announced that Conor McGregor would headline UFC 205 opposite 155-pound champion Eddie Alvarez, leaving Nurmagomedov out in the cold once again. Upon hearing the news, Nurmagomedov — who dubbed the promotion a “freak show” in his fit of rage — pleaded with White to make room for him on the already-stacked PPV event.

Ask and you shall receive, provided title shots (at least for now) are not part of the deal.

Johnson is coming off a first-round knockout of Dustin Poirier at UFC Fight Night 94 (see it again here), giving him his first win in more than one year. Afterward. “The Menace” called for big fights to expedite his path to to gold and up his bank account.

And it doesn’t get bigger than Nurmagomedov, who has long been dubbed one of the most dominant fighters in the division and rightful owner of a championship fight. Meanwhile, a win for Nurmagomedov should (hopefully) finally solidify that his No. 1 ranking isn’t going unnoticed in the title race, while a victory for Johnson likely leapfrogs him close to the top of the rankings.

UFC 205 will also feature a co-main event pitting Welterweight king Tyron Woodley against Stephen Thompson, while women’s Strawweight title holder Joanna J?drzejczyk defends her strap against Karolina Kowalkiewicz. In addition, Chris Weidman is expected to face Yoel Romero in an intriguing Middleweight showdown while Donald Cerrone faces Kelvin Gastelum.

To see who else is fighting on the stacked event click here.