UFC 223
| Company type | Mixed martial arts event |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sports entertainment |
| Founded | April 7, 2018 |
| Headquarters | Brooklyn, New York , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Parent | Ultimate Fighting Championship |
UFC 223: Khabib vs. Iaquinta was a mixed martial arts competition organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship, taking place on April 7, 2018, at the Barclays Center located in Brooklyn, New York.
Background
Initially, the event was planned to showcase a UFC Lightweight Championship clash between interim titleholder Tony Ferguson and Khabib Nurmagomedov. This bout had been arranged and subsequently canceled three times over the preceding three years. Due to Conor McGregor's inactivity as the reigning lightweight champion, the UFC suggested he would be stripped of his title, with the victor between Ferguson and Nurmagomedov becoming the undisputed champion. Dana White, UFC president, confirmed that this winner would serve as the de facto champion but did not immediately remove McGregor’s championship status.
For the fourth occasion, Ferguson withdrew on April 1 because of a knee injury and was replaced by then-UFC Featherweight Champion Max Holloway. Had Holloway won, he would have become the second athlete to hold belts in two divisions simultaneously, following McGregor. Nevertheless, Holloway was declared medically unfit during weigh-ins and subsequently pulled from the card. The UFC then pursued former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis as a substitute after Pettis’ scheduled fight against Michael Chiesa was canceled due to an incident involving McGregor. Pettis failed to make championship weight despite being granted additional time.
Paul Felder volunteered to replace Pettis but was denied approval by the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) because he was unranked. Consequently, Al Iaquinta—who had been originally set to face Felder at UFC 218 before injury-related postponements—was matched against Nurmagomedov. Iaquinta weighed 0.2 pounds above the lightweight limit, rendering him ineligible for the title under NYSAC regulations; however, Dana White stated that Iaquinta would be recognized as champion if victorious. Both Felder and Pettis were removed from the fight card.
The event’s co-main attraction featured a rematch for the UFC Women's Strawweight Championship between reigning titleholder Rose Namajunas and former champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk. Namajunas had previously defeated Jędrzejczyk via first-round knockout at UFC 217.
Mairbek Taisumov was slated to compete against Evan Dunham but withdrew due to visa complications; Dunham instead faced Olivier Aubin-Mercier at this event.
Conor McGregor and team bus attack
On April 5, following the event’s media day, Conor McGregor and his associates attacked a bus transporting fighters scheduled for UFC 223, including Nurmagomedov and two of his teammates. The assault involved throwing objects through a window, causing it to shatter. This incident prompted multiple changes to the fight lineup:
- Artem Lobov was removed from his bout versus Alex Caceres due to involvement in the altercation.
- Michael Chiesa withdrew from his scheduled fight against former champion Anthony Pettis because of lacerations caused by broken glass.
- A flyweight contest between former challenger Ray Borg and Brandon Moreno, rescheduled for this event after Moreno’s prior injury, was also canceled owing to Borg sustaining an eye injury from glass shards.
McGregor turned himself in to the NYPD and faced charges including three counts of assault and one count of criminal mischief alongside teammate Cian Cowley. Both were released on bail—$50,000 for McGregor and $25,000 for Cowley. In July, charges were dropped after McGregor entered a no contest plea for disorderly conduct and completed five days of community service. UFC President Dana White suggested that McGregor was unlikely to receive disciplinary action from the organization following these events.
Bonus awards
A $50,000 bonus was awarded to the following fighters:[1]
- Fight of the Night: Zabit Magomedsharipov vs. Kyle Bochniak
- Performance of the Night: Chris Gruetzemacher and Olivier Aubin-Mercier
See also
References
- ↑ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2123: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).