Khabib Nurmagomedov's first fight in well over a year is set for December 11th in Las Vegas. The undefeated UFC lightweight contender will take on #9 ranked Tony Ferguson on the main card of The Ultimate Fighter 22 Finale at a venue TBD. Brian Martin of the LA Daily News reported the booking on Friday. The UFC's Dave Sholler later confirmed the report and also noted that it is not the main event, which means that Nurmagomedov still hasn't been in a five-round fight yet. According to Ariel Helwani, Khabib's team didn't want a five-rounder.
Nurmagomedov (22-0) has been battling knee problems over the past year, which is why he's twice had bouts with Donald Cerrone scrapped from pay-per-view main cards. Khabib's last fight was back in April 2014, which saw him win a unanimous decision over current champion Rafael dos Anjos. Technically speaking though, he did have a fight against the Diaz brothers earlier this month.
Ferguson (19-3) had won 6 straight, including a shutout decision win over Josh Thomson at UFC Fight Night in San Diego last month. "El Cucuy" has only been bested by Michael Johnson inside the Octagon, and has scored finishes in 6 of his 9 UFC victories. His last two outings vs. Thomson and Gleison Tibau have earned him $50,000 performance bonuses.
Also confirmed for the TUF 22 Finale are lightweights Joe Lauzon and Evan Dunham, as well as welterweights Mike Pierce and Ryan LaFlare.