Nurmagomedov-Johnson booked for UFC 205 in New York
No. 1 lightweight contender Khabib Nurmagomedov is getting to fight in New York after all.
A lightweight bout between Nurmagomedov and Michael Johnson is officially booked for UFC 205 on Nov. 12 at Madison Square Garden, UFC president Dana White announced at a press conference on Tuesday.
Ohhhh so... @TeamKhabib and @FollowTheMenace added to #UFC205! 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽 YESSSSSSSSSSSS!
— UFC (@ufc) September 27, 2016
https://t.co/wakWurFpLR
The news comes on the heels of Nurmagomedov expressing his frustration over not being able to lock up a bout with 155-pound champion Eddie Alvarez, who will instead defend his title against Conor McGregor in the UFC 205 main event. Nurmagomedov allegedly signed on for the bout only for Alvarez and the UFC to go in a different direction.
Related: Johnson wants Nurmagomedov after knocking out Poirier
Johnson is looking at a quick turnaround, having just fought on Sept. 17. In that evening's headliner, Johnson recorded a spectacular first-round knockout of Dustin Poirier. "The Menace" snapped a two-fight losing streak and made it clear that he was looking for a top-10 opponent.
That made him a good fit for Nurmagomedov, who was in the running to be an alternate for the lightweight title main event, according to ESPN's Brett Okamoto. Nurmagomedov insisted that the UFC line up an opponent for him instead.
The 28-year-old Dagestani fighter sports a 23-0 record, including seven wins in the UFC. In his last outing, Nurmagomedov defeated late-notice replacement Darrell Horcher via second-round TKO.