The UFC 223 battle card was a moving target, to put it well.
What was formerly a highly expected card comprising Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson fighting for the lightweight title was dismantled by injuries, bad weight cuts and an inexplicable assault from Conor McGregor, who’ll lose a title on the card without even stepping in the Octagon.
Shaheen Al-Shatti of MMA Fighting recapped all the volatility enclosing fight week:
Shaheen Al-Shatti
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@shaunalshatti
So Tony-Khabib, however Tony’s hurt so Khabib-Max, but Max can not cut some more weight so Khabib-Pettis, but nah so Khabib-Felder, but Felder ain’t ranked and apparently that matters, so Khabib-Iaquinta, but Iaquinta can not win the belt since he wore shorts to weigh-ins.
Fun week.
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These were just the changes to the main event. McGregor’s antics cost the card three fights, as Artem Lobov-Alex Caceres, Michael Chiesa-Anthony Pettis and Ray Borg-Brandon Moreno were all scratched as a result.
What’s left is an interesting card with only nine conflicts, but it’s still worth checking out.
If anything, the co-main occasion between Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Rose Namajunas for your women’s strawweight title is the highlight. The rematch is a powerful competitor for Fight of the evening.
Here’s a look at the whole card:
Main Card (Pay-per-view in 10 p.m. ET)
Khabib Nurmagomedov (-500) vs. Al Iaquinta (+350)
Rose Namajunas (-110) vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk (-120)
Renato Moicano (-105) vs. Calvin Kattar (-125)
Zabit Magomedsharipov (-700) vs. Kyle Bochniak (+450)
Joe Lauzon (-175) vs. Chris Gruetzemacher (+145)
Preliminary Card (FOX Sports 1 at 8 pm ET)
Karolina Kowalkiewicz (-210) vs. Felice Herrig (+170)
Bec Rawlings (+160) vs. Ashlee Evans-Smith (-200)
Olivier Aubin-Mercier (-110) vs. Evan Dunham (-120)
Devin Clark (-115) vs. Mike Rodriguez (-115)

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