The UFC has added a lightweight matchup between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Edson Barboza to its UFC 219 lineup on Dec. 30 in Las Vegas.
UFC officials confirmed the 155-pound pairing to ESPN on Friday. The UFC 219 pay-per-view event will take place inside T-Mobile Arena.
For Nurmagomedov (24-0), it will be his first appearance of 2017. The Russian lightweight was scheduled to face Tony Ferguson for the UFC's interim title in March, but was forced to pull out the day before, after he was hospitalized during his weight cut.
Nurmagomedov was also sidelined by back surgery this year. He trains out of American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, California.
Barboza (19-4) is looking to build off a three-fight win streak. Originally from Rio de Janeiro, Barboza missed time this summer due to shoulder surgery.
Now fighting under Ricardo Almeida Jiu-Jitsu and striking coach Mark Henry, Barboza's latest streak includes victories over Anthony Pettis, Gilbert Melendez and Beneil Dariush.
ESPN.com ranks Nurmagomedov and Barboza the Nos. 3 and 5 lightweights in the world, respectively. Nurmagomedov has been linked to a potential bout against defending champion Conor McGregor, but an inactive 2017 has significantly cooled those talks for now.
The UFC has not yet announced a UFC 219 main event.
