UFC president Dana White confirmed on Friday that the winner of the UFC 223 fight between Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov will become the new lightweight champion.
White told Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times that Conor McGregor will officially be stripped of the belt once that April 7 battle at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, gets underway.
“That’s exactly right: As soon as one punch is thrown, it’s on for the full title and it’s only fair,” he said. “They’ve both worked their way up to No. 1 and No. 2. They deserve a shot.”
This article will be updated to provide more information on this story as it becomes available.
Get the best sports content from the web and social in the new B/R app. Get the app and get the game.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com