Top contender Edson Barboza has no issues with speaking his mind, and he is not alone.
The majority of the lightweight division is sick and tired of waiting for current UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor to make his long-awaited return to the Octagon.
As a result of McGregor not fighting, it has backlogged the division and thus put the title on ice as he does what he wants.
The promotion is well aware of this, and they had to take action. This leads us to the UFC creating an interim title.
Tony Ferguson won the interim title at UFC 216 by scoring a submission win over Kevin Lee with a triangle choke in the third round.
McGregor has been unable to fight in the Octagon as he spent this year celebrating the birth of his child and pursuing a boxing match with Floyd Mayweather.
“I’m number three in the rankings, and I see Tony Ferguson as the actual champion,” Barboza told Combate (via Bloody Elbow). “I always make this very clear. It doesn’t matter whether or not Conor McGregor comes back.
I don’t know if he is coming back or not and I don’t care. All I hope for is that whoever wins my fight with Khabib, becomes the next one to fight Ferguson for the belt.”
Barboza is expected to meet Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 219 in the co-main event. Although UFC President Dana White has gone record by saying that Ferguson would fight McGregor next for the title, McGregor’s future is up in the air right now.
It’s likely that the winner of this bout will fight Ferguson next.
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