Dana White Addresses Possibly Booking Ferguson vs. Nurmagomedov Again

There was a fear that Tony Ferguson vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov could be canceled.

And it turns out that the fear actually turned into a reality on late Sunday night when the Las Vegas-based promotion announced that Ferguson was out of his anticipated main event versus Nurmagomedov for the lightweight title at the upcoming UFC 223 pay-per-view event.

It appears that the MMA gods do not want Nurmagomedov and Ferguson to fight each other despite the interest from fight fans across the world wanting to see that fight happen.

After a third attempt, they did not fight each other last year. Nurmagomedov and Ferguson’s highly-anticipated lightweight match-up was scrapped when Nurmagomedov was rushed to the hospital the day before the weigh-ins prior to the March 4, 2017 UFC 209 pay-per-view (PPV) event.

He was unable to compete in his scheduled interim lightweight title match in the co-main event, which was dubbed as the people’s main event.

Once the promotion made it for the fourth time at UFC 223, fight fans were hoping that they actually fight each. However, that’s just not the case.

Now, Nurmagomedov is slated to fight UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway for the lightweight title in the main event of this upcoming event.

Speaking with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto once the news was made public, UFC President Dana White addressed the possibility of this fight being made down the line between Nurmagomedov and Ferguson.

White is totally against this idea and you can’t really blame him.

“Hell no,” White said. “I’m never making that fight ever again. Ever.”

UFC 223 is set to take place on Saturday, April 7, 2018, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.