The UFC 223 battle card has been a moving target, to put it nicely.
What was formerly a highly expected card featuring Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson fighting for the lightweight title has been dismantled by accidents, bad weight reductions and an inexplicable assault from Conor McGregor, who’ll eliminate a title on the card before stepping into the Octagon.
Shaheen Al-Shatti of MMA Fighting recapped all the volatility surrounding fight week:
Shaheen Al-Shatti
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@shaunalshatti
So Tony-Khabib, however Tony’s hurt Khabib-Max, but Max can’t cut any more weight so Khabib-Pettis, but nah so Khabib-Felder, but Felder ai not rated and seemingly that matters, therefore Khabib-Iaquinta, however Iaquinta can’t win the belt since he wore shorts to weigh-ins.
Fun week.
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11:08 PM – Apr 6, 2018
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These were just the changes to the major event. McGregor’s antics price the card fights, as Artem Lobov-Alex Caceres, Michael Chiesa-Anthony Pettis and Ray Borg-Brandon Moreno were all scratched as a outcome.
What’s left is an intriguing card with just nine fights, but it’s still worth checking out.
If anything, the co-main event between Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Rose Namajunas for the women’s strawweight title is the highlight. The rematch is a strong competitor for Fight of the evening.
Here’s a look at the whole card:
Main Card (Pay-per-view at 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 in 8 p.m. 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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