UFC 223 poster says Ferguson vs. Khabib is for ‘world lightweight championship’

There’s been much confusion surrounding the upcoming lightweight bout between interim champion Tony Ferguson and No. 1 ranked contender Khabib Nurmagomedov.

UFC president Dana White stated that Ferguson and Nurmagomedov would fight for the ‘undisputed’ title but didn’t reveal whether Conor McGregor, the official lightweight champ, would be stripped of the belt.

Earlier today the official UFC 223 poster was released on social media and advertises Ferguson vs. Khabib as a ‘world lightweight championship’ bout, further hinting that McGregor will be relinquished of the title.

Check out the poster below.

Former champ Eddie Alvarez, who lost the title to McGregor in 2016, theorizes that the UFC will not dethrone the Irishman just yet in case the Ferguson-Khabib bout falls through at the last minute, as it has done on several occasions in the past.

‘El Cucuy’ and ‘The Eagle’ were originally scheduled to fight for the interim title at UFC 209 but Nurmagomedov was hospitalized on the day of the weigh-ins due to a disastrous weight cut and was forced to pull out.

UFC 223, which features a headlining ‘world championship’ bout between Ferguson and Khabib and a co-headlining strawweight championship rematch between Rose Namajunas and Joanna Jedrzejczyk, is scheduled to take place on April 7 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.