Edson Barboza says he has been offered a fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov

Edson Barboza says he has been offered a fight with Khabib Nurmagomedov for December on his Instagram live.

The UFC lightweight division is one of the most exciting but also one of the most unsure. With champion Conor McGregor absent from the sport for the last year, that has left the UFC to deal with the top contenders. The creation of an interim belt in October has put Tony Ferguson in the direct path of McGregor’s return but the date for that is still uncertain.

That leaves the number two and three contenders, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Edson Barboza, respectively. Tuesday, during a fan question and answer session on his Instagram Live, Barboza admitted the fight between Nurmagomedov and himself has been formally offered.

“You guys keep asking if I am fighting Khabib, UFC talked to my manager and my manager called me the last couple of days, he offered me to fight Khabib. I said yes, I am ready to go,” Barboza said. “He said December third, I said I’m ready. I definitely want a fight with him, he is definitely one of the best. I have respect for him and his team. I really want a fight with the best. He is number two I’m number three, I think that is the fight that makes sense for us. If I win this fight then I will go for a title shot. I really, really hope this fight can happen.”

There is no UFC event scheduled for Dec. 3, so perhaps the date that was offered is UFC 219 which takes place on Dec. 30. Nurmagomedov’s team has been mentioning that date on several of their social media posts as of late. If the fight between Tony Ferguson and Conor McGregor happens early next year, then this fight between Barboza and Nurmagomedov should be for the next contender spot.

Barboza has won three in a row against some of the top 155’ers in the UFC. He has been dealing with an injury over the past couple of months that has kept him out of the Octagon. He has said that he is ready to go for December, though.

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