Khabib Nurmagomedov and Cris ‘Cyborg’ Justino make weight for UFC 219

Reporting from LAS VEGAS —  Khabib Nurmagomedov not only wanted to make weight Friday, he wanted to make a statement.

So the unbeaten Russian lightweight, regarded as one of the UFC’s most destructive fighters, reported first in line for the official UFC 219 morning weigh-in and made weight with half a pound to spare.

“I guess you guys have been waiting for me,” Nurmagomedov said to reporters while weighing 155.5 pounds on the scale before Nevada Athletic Commission Executive Director Bob Bennett.

Nurmagomedov fell ill the night before his scheduled March weigh-in for an interim lightweight title fight against Orange County’s Tony Ferguson that was scrapped.

But after letting women’s strawweight contender Cynthia Cavillo weigh in just before him, he said his weight cut this time was so smooth he might consider taking fights at the featherweight limit of 145 pounds, too.

In the Saturday night co-main event to the women’s featherweight title fight between champion Cris “Cyborg” Justino and former bantamweight champion Holly Holm, Nurmagomedov meets No. 4-rated Edson Barboza of Brazil.

Justino, whose arrival in the UFC was delayed by her inability to make the bantamweight limit of 135 pounds, weighed in at the featherweight limit of 145 pounds, breaking a smile of delight before what will be her second UFC title fight Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena.

Holm weighed 144 pounds.

Barboza weighed in a few minutes after Nurmagomedov at the lightweight limit of 155 pounds. Because the fight is not for a title, Nevada allows fighters to weigh up to one pound over the official limit.

The lightweight winner will be in prime position to either fight interim champion Ferguson in the spring or be next in line to fight the March winner of a Conor McGregor-Ferguson bout.

lance.pugmire@latimes.com

Twitter: @latimespugmire