At least something is set now. With Max Holloway out of the UFC 223 main event, Khabib Nurmagomedov will now face “Ragin’ Al” Al Iaquinta.
Early Friday morning it was announced that Holloway was not medically cleared to fight. There were a number of lightweight’s that threw their hat in the bucket.
MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani tweeted that the fight will, in fact, be five rounds. However, only Nurmagomedov can win 155-pound gold, as Iaquinta did not make championship weight.
Nurmagomedov vs. Iaquinta is all but signed, sources confirm. Agreed. Would be 5 rounds. Would be main event.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) April 6, 2018
UFC 223 main event set
Nurmagomedov (25-0) is 9-0 under the UFC banner and undefeated in his entire MMA career. After a one-year hiatus, the Russian returned to the Octagon at UFC 219. He earned a decisive victory over Edson Barboza and won ‘Performance of the Night’ honors.
Iaquinta (13-3-1) is riding a five-fight winning streak dating back to 2014. “Ragin’ Al” was out of action for the entire 2016 calendar year, but came back to fight in 2017. At UFC Fight Night 108, Iaquinta knocked out Diego Sanchez. Iaquinta was expected to take on Paul Felder at UFC 223.
UFC 223 goes down on April 7, 2018, from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
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