Max Holloway was not the original competitor chosen to face Khabib Nurmagomedov for the UFC Lightweight title at UFC 223. Originally, it was ‘El Cucuy’ Tony Ferguson who was scheduled to face Khabib Nurmagomedov on April 7, 2018. Unfortunately, Ferguson had to pull out of the fight due to a knee injury, bringing about the fourth cancelation between the pair.
‘Blessed’ stepped in on 6 days’ notice, while he was the UFC Featherweight champion, to face Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 223. However, Holloway was forced to withdraw from the competition after a botched weight cut. Detailing the series of events that led to his dismissal from the UFC 223 main card, Max Holloway told Joe Rogan -
Who took Max Holloway’s place to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 223?
After Max Holloway was forced to pull out of the fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov, Al Iaquinta took his place. Iaquinta was originally scheduled to face Paul Felder on the UFC 223 card. But the lack of a back-up fighter landed Al Iaquinta a title shot against Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Only Khabib Nurmagomedov was eligible to win the championship, as Al Iaquinta weighed in at 0.2 pounds over championship limit (155 lbs).
‘The Eagle’ dominated Al Iaquinta the entire fight to become the king of the Lightweight division.
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