Report: Ferguson verbally agrees to fight, Poirier waiting to get paid

The UFC has been targeting a lightweight fight between Tony Ferguson and Dustin Poirier for much of the last month, but there's a holdup on the latter's side.

Ferguson has verbally agreed to fight Poirier at UFC 254 on Oct. 24 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, sources told ESPN's Ariel Helwani.

Poirier, meanwhile, says he's "in," but the 31-year-old wants to get paid before putting pen to paper. The veteran said the finalization process has been delayed because he and the UFC have yet to come to terms.

"... I just need to be compensated if they want this fight," Poirier told Helwani. "Simple as that."

UFC president Dana White said in August that Ferguson's next opponent would "probably" be Poirier, and the bout would likely take place at UFC 254.

A lightweight title matchup between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Justin Gaethje will headline that card. Ferguson-Poirier will reportedly be the co-main event if all parties sign off.

Ferguson is coming off a fifth-round TKO loss to Gaethje in an interim title fight at UFC 249 in May. The defeat snapped his 12-fight winning streak.

Poirier most recently beat Dan Hooker via unanimous decision in a UFC Fight Night main event in June. "The Diamond" met Nurmagomedov for the 155-pound belt last year, losing after a third-round submission.