Several fights for Khabib have been scheduled and scrapped for UFC 223…
UFC 223 is fast becoming one of the biggest trainwrecks in mixed martial arts history. With less than one week before the event, Tony Ferguson was forced to withdraw due to a freak leg injury. Losing yet another scheduled fight between two top lightweights was bad enough but that was only the begninning.
Yesterday, Conor McGregor attacked a bus which was transporting the red corner fighters from the Barclays Center to a hotel. Conor was looking to get at Khabib due to the Russian lightweights interaction with SBG Ireland’s Artem Lobov earlier in the week. A dolly was thrown threw a window and several fights were removed from the card due to the injuries sustained. This is what MMA has become in 2018.
Just when some normalcy looked to have returned, Max Holloway was deemed medically unfit to compete during the weigh-ins this morning. Holloway needed to cut a lot of weight for the fight and evidently the commission deemed him not in suitable condition to compete. It seemed as though former UFC lightweight champion, Anthony Pettis, was going to step up to the plate but now even that has gone out the window.
I'm hearing that @Showtimepettis asked for a bigger payday, #UFC countered with less. Pettis declined, @felderpaul gets the spot. Standing by for more info from my girl @vevyrodrigues in NYC… #UFC223
— Karyn Bryant (@KarynBryant) April 6, 2018
Anthony Pettis to Replace Max Holloway?
Speculation today had Anthony Pettis replacing Max Holloway on the card. Just when the fight looked official, however, things fell through for this fight as well.
Anthony Pettis weighed in at 155.2 and was given an hour to lose the remaining weight but never did weigh in again. It is now rumored the fight between Pettis and Khabib is off. Karyn Bryan from Fox Sports reported that Pettis asked for more money and was denied. The promotion is now looking at Paul Felder as a possible replacement but the commission is unsure about making the fight due to his position in the rankings compared to Khabib’s.
Pettis was originally supposed to face Michael Chiesa on the card but Conor McGregor threw a dolly at a bus.
Max Holloway’s Weight Cut
Earlier this week, Max Holloway’s weight-cut coach, George Lockhart, referred to Holloways required weight cut as tied for the most difficult he’s ever seen.
“This is huge for Max and honestly this would be so easy to say, ‘No, man, he can’t do it’ and it would be no stress on me,” Lockhart said. “But the kid, I know he wants it. I know Max wants it. He’s actually excited about this shit. He has so much weight to cut, but he was excited. It was like he had a challenge. He’s just like, ‘Let’s do this’ and I’m like, ‘all right.’”
Despite Lockhart’s belief in him, Holloway was ruled meically unfit to compete at the weigh-ins this morning.
Khabib Nurmagomedov to Be Pulled From UFC 223?
If Paul Felder is not awarded the fight with Khabib, the Dagestani fighter will be pulled from the event. Khabib has agreed to three different fights for Saturday. Fights against Ferguson, Holloway, and Pettis have all be scheduled and scrapped.
Khabib also says he was not allowed off the bus yesterday so he could fight Conor.
