Ferguson to Test Nurmagomedov's Contender Status After Two Years Out

The straight-talking promos, devastating aggressive wrestling style and unblemished record of Khabib Nurmagomedov have been sorely missed for two years, but it has been reported that 'The Eagle' will land in the Octagon again on April 16 where he will meet Tony Ferguson.

The news was revealed by sources to MMAFighting.com's Ariel Helwani after Michael Johnson was ruled out of his UFC 197 meeting with 'El Cucuy'.

TUF 13 winner Ferguson is currently on a seven-fight winning streak and he has capped off his last three performances with consecutive 'Performance of the Night' winning bonuses. Originally set to meet 'The Eagle' on December 11, Edson Barboza stepped in when the Russian was forced to pull out of the contest and Ferguson's second round d'arce choke victory over the spectacular Brazilian has brought his stock to an all-time high.

Once considered a dark horse in the division, Ferguson is now a bonafide contender in the lightweight bracket. As Nurmagomedov was courting a lot of positive projections in terms of his own championship trajectory, there is no doubt that the winner of the contest could be looking at a potential shot at the 155 lbs title.

Still a Contender

Unbeaten in 22 tests and six in the Octagon, Nurmagomedov has retained his championship contender status despite his two years of inactivity. One thing that makes him stand out from the pack immediately is that he is the last man to hand current champion Rafael Dos Anjos a loss.

When the two met back in April 2014, they were both riding five-fight winning streaks, but 'The Eagle' managed to dictate the fight at his own pace to score a unanimous 30-27 scoring from all the judges on the card.

The manner in which Dos Anjos has tore through the division since, with wins over Benson Henderson, Nate Diaz, Anthony Pettis and Donald Cerrone, has made Nurmagomedov's victory over him all the more impressive. However, Dos Anjos's ability and consistency to achieve another five-fight win streak and claim the division's title would lead you to believe he has evolved a lot since his first meeting with 'The Eagle.'

Nurmagomedov has suggested that he will be coming straight for the champion as he gears himself towards his return in an interview with Globo.

"In January, I'll get back to heavier workouts, back to training wrestling and striking. I want to be ready in March and perhaps try a title fight in Brazil against a Brazilian champion," he said in December before the announcement of Dos Anjos meeting with Conor McGregor.

"Because he wants people to say he's the champion, but actually, I'm the one who dominated him. He must defeat me so people say that he is the true champion. But first, I need to be fit."

Although Eddie Alvarez recently saw off Pettis by a split decision to add to his win over Gilbert Melendez, the former Bellator lightweight champ's privileged position in the division as the next challenger to the 155 lbs crown could be obscured by a big performance from either Ferguson or Nurmagomedov.

McGregor Effect

Before he has even stepped a foot into the Octagon as UFC lightweight, there is already a massive conversation underway as to who will provide 'The Notorious' Conor McGregor with his toughest tests in the division. Due to his relative mastery of the striking arts and Nurmagomedov's virtuoso grappling ability, fans and media alike have pointed to the Russian as a serious challenge to the Irishman.

Speaking on The MMA Hour on Monday, Nurmagomedov outlined how he hopes McGregor beats Dos Anjos so he can face him in his first title defense.

"When I beat someone (Ferguson) in April, I will want to fight with (the) winner of Rafael Dos Anjos and Conor McGregor. I hope and I think that Conor McGregor beats him, and I will be somebody else. Me and Conor, this is (the) biggest match in UFC history because McGregor has a lot of people behind him in Ireland, but I have Russia.

"In Russia, there are a lot of people, a lot of fans. I know I have the biggest fan club in the world and it think this is the biggest match in UFC history. First I have to win and Conor McGregor has to beat Rafael Dos Anjos, then we'll see what happens."

Knee Injury

The shadow of Nurmagomedov's reoccurring knee injury will loom heavily over his next few bouts. The two years he spent on the sideline saw the Russian withdraw from two heavily anticipated bouts with Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone and most recently Tony Ferguson. Having suffered two big injuries to the same knee, a third injury could seriously jeopardize his future in the sport.

The unbeaten Russian will definitely take a lot of confidence from seeing Dominick Cruz return to win the bantamweight division to claim the championship title earlier this month. After losing out on two years at the peak of his fighting ability, Nurmagomedov will be on a collision course to show people he can fulfill his potential at the forefront of the UFC's lightweight division.