Featherweight No. 1 Contender Brian Ortega Says He Was Offered UFC 223 Bout vs. Nurmagomedov

The new UFC 223 headliner nearly could have featured the featherweight division’s No. 1 contender instead of its champion.

According to Brian Ortega, the Las Vegas-based promotion reached out to him to see if he would face Khabib Nurmagomedov after Tony Ferguson withdrew from Saturday’s headliner due to a knee injury. At the time, reigning 145-pound king Max Holloway had not yet responded to the UFC’s inquiry.

“For the record, [UFC President Dana White] called me yesterday to see if I would step in against Khabib since Max hadn’t responded yet,” Ortega wrote on Twitter. “I said yes. Eventually, Max replied and Dana gave him the fight. If all goes according to plan, I’ll get my turn -- at both of them.”

For the record, Dana called me yesterday to see if I would step in against Khabib since Max hadn’t responded yet. I said yes. Eventually, Max replied and Dana gave him the fight. If all goes according to plan, I’ll get my turn - at both of them.

— Brian Ortega (@BrianTcity) April 2, 2018

Ortega staked his claim to the next featherweight title shot when he knocked out perpetual contender Frankie Edgar 4:44 into the opening round of their bout at UFC 222 on March 3. It was the sixth straight UFC win for Ortega, who shortly thereafter received a call from White confirming that he would get the next crack at Holloway.

Exactly when that happens now could hinge on how Holloway fares against Nurmagomedov on Saturday. UFC 223 takes place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., and will also see Rose Namajunas defend her strawweight crown against Joanna Jedrzejczyk in the co-main event. The evening’s main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on Fox Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.