White announces Ferguson-Lee interim lightweight title fight

Tony Ferguson will fight Kevin Lee for the interim UFC lightweight title, Dana White said Tuesday.

White did not confirm a date for the bout, but mentioned UFC 216 in October as a possibility. Conor McGregor currently holds the lightweight title, but has not fought in the UFC since winning the belt last November.

Ferguson (22-3) had been set to face Khabib Nurmagomedov for the interim title at UFC 209 in March, but the fight was cancelled when the Russian lightweight was hospitalized due to weight cutting.

On a nine-fight win streak, Ferguson most recently defeated Rafael dos Anjos in November 2016. He is listed as the number two lightweight contender in the UFC's official rankings, behind Nurmagomedov, who White confirmed is not currently available to fight.

Lee (16-2) is on a five-fight win streak, beating Michael Chiesa by technical submission in his most recent win in June. The 24-year-old won The Warriors Cage lightweight title in 2013 before coming to the UFC. He is currently sits seventh in the UFC's official lightweight rankings.