Following UFC on ESPN 15 on Saturday night, UFC president Dana White confirmed that the promotion has booked Ferguson for his next fight, although he wasn’t ready to announce anything as a done deal just yet.
White added that Ferguson will “probably” face Poirier next after he just engaged in a Fight of the Night performance against Dan Hooker in his last outing in July.
Sources speaking to MMA Fighting confirmed that conversations have started with both Ferguson and Poirier on a potential showdown in October but no contracts have been issued or signed just yet. Judging by the ongoing talks, Ferguson and Poirier appear to be on board with the matchup as the UFC seeks to pit the former interim lightweight champions against each other.
Ferguson has been teasing a return to action in recent weeks as he looks to bounce back from a TKO loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC 249. That defeat snapped Ferguson’s 12-fight win streak after he accepted the bout with Gaethje when UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov was unable to travel into the United States due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Ferguson will look to get back on track while facing one of the most dangerous fighters in the entire division as Poirier attempts to build on his win over Hooker, which came after a loss to Nurmagomedov last year.
Overall, Poirier has a 6-1 record with one no-contest in his past seven fights as he continues to sit near the top of the rankings at 155 pounds.
With Nurmagomedov and Gaethje preparing to do battle at UFC 254, a fight between Ferguson and Poirier could easily determine the next No. 1 contender in the lightweight division, assuming the matchup is finalized.
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