White: McGregor controls whether Ferguson-Khabib is for 'undisputed' title

Dana White may want to look up the definition of the word "undisputed."

The UFC president announced at a press conference on Friday that the bout between interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson and challenger Khabib Nurmagomedov set for April 7 will be for the division's "undisputed" title, according to MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani.

However, White refused to say that current undisputed champion Conor McGregor has been stripped of his title despite being away from the UFC since winning the belt in November 2016.

After the press conference, White explained to TSN's Aaron Bronsteter that McGregor remains the champion for the time being, but if he cannot book a defense for his title before the Ferguson-Nurmagomedov fight, the UFC 223 main event will be for the undisputed title. If McGregor agrees to a fight in defense of his title before UFC 223, Ferguson and Nurmagomedov will battle for the interim title.

White did acknowledge that McGregor's absence cannot continue to "hold up the division" during the presser, but also offered praise for the popular Irishman.

"Conor McGregor is not just one of the biggest stars in mixed martial arts, but one of the biggest sports stars on earth," said White, according to MMA Fighting. "When Conor comes back, it will be massive."

The UFC had previously officially stripped McGregor of his featherweight title soon after he won the lightweight belt in November 2016 due to inactivity, less than a year after winning the crown without defending it.

Ferguson, who won the interim title in October, will face Nurmagomedov at UFC 223 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.