Dana White: Ferguson-Khabib is for ‘undisputed’ title, but Conor McGregor is still champion

Fans expected some clarification on the UFC lightweight picture after a Friday press conference involving Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Instead, more questions were created than answered.

Ferguson, the UFC interim lightweight champ, was scheduled to face Nurmagomedov in the UFC 223 main event earlier this week. But the one question fans still had after the booking was: is it for the undisputed or interim belt?

UFC president Dana White said at the press conference in Boston, which preceded the UFC 220 ceremonial weigh-ins, that the pair of 155-pound fighters will square off in Brooklyn, New York on April 7 for the undisputed title.

But he refused to say whether lightweight champion Conor McGregor has been or will be stripped.

“I have no update (on McGregor),” White said. “The winner [of Ferguson vs. Nurmagomedov] will be the champion. ... We’ll see what happens.

“It’s undisputed, I said it would be. I said that the guy who wins this fight will be the champion. ... You will see what happens.”

After having no update on the Irish superstar and saying Ferguson vs. Nurmagomedov will be contested for the undisputed title, a reporter asked White why he wouldn’t outright say McGregor would be stripped in the near future.

“There’s no reason,” White said. “Did I say he’s been stripped of the title? Next question.”

In a later interview with TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter, White said if McGregor doesn’t commit to defending the title against the Ferguson vs. Nurmagomedov winner before that bout happens, “The Notorious” will be stripped of the belt. White added that as of Friday evening, McGregor is still the undisputed champion.