An originally packed UFC 223 card lost its main event, replacement main event and multiple potential replacement main events, but will go on with Khabib Nurmagomedov fighting for the UFC Lightweight Championship against Al Iaquinta and officially as UFC 223: Khabib vs. Iaquinta. The co-main event, a Women’s Strawweight Championship bout between Rose Namajunas and Joanna Jędrzejczyk, has managed to remain on the card unscathed.
Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images
Nurmagomedov, originally scheduled to face Tony Ferguson, then Max Holloway, then potentially Anthony Pettis and Paul Felder, will be the only one fighting for the belt as Iaquinta, the replacement’s replacement’s replacement’s replacement, came in over the 155-pound limit at Friday’s weigh-in. Saturday’s pay-per-view main card begins at 10 p.m. ET and can be live streamed via the UFC directly.
Preliminary bouts will all be on Fox Sports 1, beginning at 8 p.m. and can be streamed via fuboTV or Fox Sports GO.
Ferguson was injured, and the Nevada State Athletic Commission declared Holloway medically unfit to compete during his weight cut. Pettis came in over the weight limit, while the commission also vetoed the Felder fight due to the fighter not being on the UFC’s top 15 lightweight rankings. Iaquinta also came in over the weight limit, but will fight Nurmagomedov anyway. Iaquinta will not be eligible for the title, while Nurmagomedov will be.
It’s the same title that has been stripped from Conor McGregor, who was charged with three counts of assault and one count of criminal mischief when he attacked a UFC bus holding multiple fighters, including Nurmagomedov.
That led to injuries to Michael Chiesa and Brandon Moreno, undercard fighters who will no longer be fighting on Saturday. Another fight lost was the one between Artem Lobov, a friend of McGregor’s, and Alex Caceres. Lobov was involved in the McGregor incident and was removed as a result.
It’s still a fun card. Nurmagomedov is always exciting to watch, and the co-main between Namajunas and Jędrzejczyk is one of the most-anticipated bouts of the year.
Below, you can find all the streaming and viewing information you need as well as the full official UFC 223 fight card.
All Times Eastern
How to watch UFC 223: Khabib vs. Iaquinta
Date: Saturday, April 7
Time: Prelims at 8 p.m.; main card at 10 p.m.
Location: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York
TV: FS1, Pay-per-view
Online Streaming: fuboTV, UFC.TV, UFC YouTube, Fox Sports GO
UFC 223 Full Fight Card
PPV Main Card (10 p.m.)
Lightweight: Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Al Iaquinta
Women’s Strawweight: Rose Namajunas vs. Joanna Jędrzejczyk
Featherweight: Renato Moicano vs. Calvin Kattar
Featherweight: Zabit Magomedsharipov vs. Kyle Bochniak
Lightweight: Joe Lauzon vs. Chris Gruetzemacher
FS1 Preliminary Card (8 p.m.)
Women’s Strawweight: Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Felice Herrig
Women’s Flyweight: Bec Rawlings vs. Ashlee Evans-Smith
Lightweight: Evan Dunham vs. Olivier Aubin-Mercier
Light Heavyweight: Devin Clark vs. Mike Rodriguez
