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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) President, Dana White, will give former lightweight champion, Conor McGregor, the next crack at the 155-pound crown, assuming he gets past veteran “Cowboy,” Donald Cerrone, at the upcoming UFC 246 pay-per-view (PPV) event on Jan. 18 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
But we don’t yet know who will be holding the title if and when that happens, as Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson, already booked for UFC 249 next April in Brooklyn, New York, have yet to collide for “The Eagle’s” lightweight strap.
“That fight’s done, it’s happening,” White told BT Sport about the UFC 249 headliner. “If Conor can get through Cowboy, and if Khabib can get through Tony, then we’d be looking at a rematch with Conor and Khabib down the line pretty soon.”
Nurmagomedov was able to defeat McGregor by way of fourth-round submission at UFC 229 back in late 2018. It was the first Octagon appearance for “Notorious” since taking an extended break from cage fighting more than three years back.
Naturally, a lot can happen between now and next April and McGregor’s title shot is dependent on two wins that are far from guaranteed. Still, this sort of matchmaking lends credence to this recent take from another top lightweight.