The UFC 223 fight card was a moving target, to put it nicely.
What was once a highly expected card comprising Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson fighting for the lightweight title was dismantled by injuries, bad weight reductions and an inexplicable attack from Conor McGregor, who will eliminate a title on the card without even 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, but Tony’s hurt Khabib-Max, but Max can not cut some more weight so Khabib-Pettis, but nah so Khabib-Felder, but Felder ain’t ranked and seemingly that matters, therefore Khabib-Iaquinta, but 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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Those were just the changes to the major event. McGregor’s antics price the card three fights, as Artem Lobov-Alex Caceres, Michael Chiesa-Anthony Pettis and Ray Borg-Brandon Moreno were all scratched as a outcome.
What is left is an intriguing card with only nine fights, but it is still worth checking out.
If anything, the co-main occasion between Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Rose Namajunas for your women’s strawweight name is the highlight. The rematch is a strong contender for Fight of the evening.
Here’s a look at the complete 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 at 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)

Read more: ufc200-fight.com