Max Holloway stepped in to face Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 223 on six days' notice. The development came after Nurmagomedov's original opponent Tony 'El Cucuy' Ferguson had to pull out due to a knee injury, resulting in the fourth cancellation of the match-up.
The UFC lightweight belt was on the line for the fight as it would be stripped off then-champion Conor McGregor due to inactivity. However, the fight did not take place after all as the New York State Athletic Commission deemed Holloway medically unfit for the bout. The biggest reason that has been cited in the aftermath was problems pertaining to Holloway's weight cut.
ESPN's Brett Okamoto was the first to report the news, citing UFC president Dana White.
NYSAC later made an official statement on the matter, although the organization did not divulge much detail about why they arrived at the decision.
"With much regret, and after careful review, a joint decision was made between the state athletic commission and the UFC. We’ve deemed Mr. Holloway medically unfit to attend the scales (to weigh in). No further comments at this time. We apologize," Kim Sumbler, the executive director of the NYSAC, told reporters at the official weigh-ins.Khabib Nurmagomedov and Dana White showed respect to Max Holloway post the fight cancellation
Even though the fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Max Holloway did not happen, it is widely regarded by MMA fans as one of the best-booked UFC fights ever.
After the cancellation, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Dana White heaped praise on Max Holloway, then-UFC featherweight champion, for stepping in and taking the fight on such short notice.
The UFC 223 main event faced quite a bit of a hiccup after two withdrawals. The UFC tried to book Anthony Pettis as Khabib Nurmagomedov's opponent after his bout with Michael Chiesa was scrapped due to the Conor McGregor bus incident. Pettis did not weigh in for a second time after missing the championship weight by 2 pounds on his first attempt.
Paul Felder was offered the fight, but NYSAC declined that as well since 'The Irish Dragon' was unranked at the time. The fight finally went to Paul Felder's opponent Al Iaquinta, but he was deemed ineligible to become the champion if he won since he weighed in 0.2lbs over the 155lbs limit.
Thankfully, that did not make a difference as Khabib Nurmagomedov comfortably picked up a unanimous decision win to become the new undisputed lightweight champion.
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