BOSTON – Despite three previously canceled bouts between Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov, there currently is no fighter on standby for the UFC 223 headliner.

“We haven’t really thought about that,” UFC President Dana White said today during a press conference for the fight, which takes place April 7 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. “I’m hoping the fourth time’s a charm, and this fight is going to happen. We’ll figure it out. We don’t have anything in place right now.”

White’s statement is a surprise given Ferguson (23-3 MMA, 13-1 UFC) and Nurmagomedov’s history. The rivals were supposed to fight for the interim title this past March at UFC 209 until Nurmagomedov (25-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) was forced to withdraw due to a botched weight cut. Ferguson went on to beat Kevin Lee six months later at UFC 216 to claim the interim strap.

Behind the scenes, the UFC has touted its ability to rebook canceled fights. Double main events, backup fights and fighters put on retainer in case of injury withdrawal were all cited as strategies to mitigate the impact of last-minute cancellations, according to investor documents for the promotion’s $4 billion sale in 2016.

Now, Ferguson and Nurmagomedov are fighting for the undisputed title, even though White refuses to publicly strip champ Conor McGregor of the belt. And yet, it appears the promotion is again gambling both will make it to UFC 223, which airs live on pay-per-view following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

On two other occasions, the rivals have been forced to withdraw from scheduled non-title bouts, putting them on parallel paths as they climbed up the lightweight ranks. Of course, both rivals have given encouraging signs they’re on track for the current showdown. Nurmagomedov, in particular, went to the UFC’s Performance Institute to learn more about proper weight-cutting and made weight without issue for a bout against Edson Barboza this past month at UFC 219.

The other good news is there appears to be no shortage of participants willing to step up if one fighter is scrapped from April’s title fight.

“You’ve got a (145-pound) champion that will gladly take that spot after March 3,” UFC featherweight champ Max Holloway interjected during today’s presser.

For more on UFC 223, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.