Khabib Nurmagomedov's long-coveted matchup with Tony Ferguson wasn't meant to be.
After Ferguson brought negotiations for a date with him to a standstill, "The Eagle" is now eyeing a fight against another lightweight contender at UFC 209 on March 4, his management told ESPN's Brett Okamoto. UFC president Dana White recently revealed talks had gone south when "El Cucuy" asked to be paid as much as Nurmagomedov, prompting the Russian to offer him $200,000 out of pocket to keep the fight alive.
The top-ranked contender's manager then gave Ferguson six days to agree to the terms, but Nurmagomedov now appears to be out of patience, and reportedly has his sights set on eighth-ranked Michael Chiesa. The Eagle will reportedly begin training at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose this weekend.
The undefeated 28-year-old had also been briefly attached to an interim lightweight title bout with undisputed featherweight king Jose Aldo, but opted to remain idle in hopes Ferguson would come around.
Nurmagomedov and "El Cucuy" have been booked to fight twice before, only for each to bow out once due to injury. The pair have won eight and nine straight, respectively, the Russian's last victory a third-round submission of Michael Johnson at UFC 205 this past November.
