Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Reigning Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov, will make his next 155-pound title defense against top contender and longtime rival, Tony Ferguson, at the promotion’s return to Brooklyn on April 18.
And he’ll do it as the -250 betting favorite, according to our fiscal friends over at BetOnline, who also pegged Ferguson as the +210 underdog. That’s the first time “El Cucuy” has seen the plus column since he closed at +110 against Rafael dos Anjos back in late 2016.
I think the bigger gamble is putting money on whether or not the fight actually comes to fruition. The promotion has tried to pair them off four times in the past and all four times, injury or illness has gotten in the way. Even UFC President, Dana White, vowed to never again make the lightweight match up.
Fortunately for fans, both Nurmagomedov and Ferguson have left him no choice. “The Eagle” is undefeated at 28-0, having recently bagged and tagged Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier, while “El Cucuy” is the winner of 12 straight with nine violent finishes.
No question this line will shift as we get closer to fight night.