With Khabib Nurmagomedov likely out of next month's highly-anticipated clash with Tony Ferguson the UFC have begun sounding out potential fighters to fill the void, with 155lb contender Justin Gaethje at the top of the queue.
Nurmagomedov announced early on Monday that travel restrictions placed on Russia means that he will most likely be unable to leave the country to finally meet Ferguson in a UFC cage.
While there have been no official comments from Dana White or the UFC as of yet, a report from ESPN's Ariel Helwani suggests that the organization's matchmakers are scrambling to identify an opponent willing to step in against "El Cucuy" on just three weeks' notice.
That first port of call? Justin Gaethje.
Also on rt.com Frozen out: Khabib Nurmagomedov says he's stuck in Russia and UFC 249 could move on WITHOUT HIMLightweight standout Gaethje has been actively campaigning to be paired up with Conor McGregor in recent months but with the Irish fighter confined within his own borders for the time being, it seems that he may get his chance to rise to the summit of the rankings with a short-notice fight with Tony Ferguson.
While any potential fight between Ferguson and Gaethje is currently in the preliminary stages of negotiations and far from being confirmed, it could potentially be helped along by the fact that Gaethje and Nurmagomedov share a management company, Ali Abdelaziz's Dominance MMA.
It is also worth noting that the UFC's insistence on holding a fight card on April 18 remains, for now, intact and not, as previously thought, a card assembled solely for the purpose of finally holding the seemingly cursed Nurmagomedov-Ferguson fight.
Should the UFC fail to agree terms with Gaethje, there are at least two other UFC fighters who have indicated their interest. UFC "BMF" Jorge Masvidal wrote on Twitter that he is "free" on April 18 and that this would be the second time that he would, "Say yes to the crotch sniffing champ."
Meanwhile, the last man to be beaten by Nurmagomedov – Dustin Poirier – also stated on Twitter that he would be more than willing to step in to fill the gap against Ferguson, while former welterweight champion Tyron Woodley also said he would be available should Ferguson consider a fight at 170lbs.