UFC 223: From Bus Fights to Cage Fights and Everything In Between

Following UFC 223, Khabib Nurmagomedov is your new undisputed light-weight champion, dethroning former champion Abeyance Iaquinta. It was once a aggressive struggle within the eyes of Joe Rogan and got here right down to a razor shut 50-43 resolution at the judges scorecards.

Following the bout, Nurmagomedov issued a problem to Georges St-Pierre for no actual explanation why. There temporary talks that St-Pierre may drop to 155, however the ones rumors had been silenced when common sense intervened. Despite lacking weight a handful of occasions, Khabib hasn’t ever opening mentioned shifting as much as 170 lbs.

All of that is to mention, not anything was once settled at UFC 223 within the light-weight department.

The long-awaited and highly-anticipated bout between Nurmagomedov and previous meantime undisputed champion Tony Ferguson fell aside for a fourth time. The UFC will wish to e book the bout no less than another time to look who wins the most efficient of 5 collection. Featherweight champion Max Holloway stepped up in Ferguson's position, however was once deemed not worthy to compete through the similar Athletic Commission that cleared Thiago Alves looking to reduce to 155 lbs.

More weight reducing shenanigans, Anthony Pettis rightfully short of more cash, and any person taking the UFC ratings too critical resulted in Al Iaquinta being slotted in the primary match.

Oh yeah, Conor McGregor gained his first struggle since November 2015. Against a bus, no much less.

Even Dana White were given in at the motion, claiming the corporate is just too broke to pay six guys their win bonus once they had been pulled off the cardboard. Those six guys had been Michael Chiesa (reduce from the McGregor-Bus incident), Anthony Pettis (Chiesa's opponent), Alex Caceres (scheduled to struggle Artem Lobov, who was once pulled for his function within the McGregor-Bus incident), Paul Felder (left with no struggle when Iaquinta was once moved to the primary match), Ray Borg (sufferer of the McGregor-Bus incident), and Brandon Moreno (Borg's opponent).

Paying all six their win bonus would have value the corporate more or less the similar as having to pay Tony Ferguson had he fought at the card. So, in the event you take into accounts it, the corporate stuck an enormous damage with Ferguson's harm. They will have long past bankrupt had he fought.

McGregor's antics landed him in prison, however that didn't trouble the UFC president. As unhealthy because the Irishman's movements had been, they had been not anything in comparison to what occurs in different sports activities. The greatest superstar within the recreation getting arrested for organizing gang battle is Mickey Mouse membership when you’ve got Tom Brady deflating footballs or LeBron James tweeting at america president.

Everything that came about main as much as the development and feedback following the development made you disregard that there have been exact fights on Saturday evening.

In reality, there was once a extremely necessary struggle.

Rose Namajunas and Joanna Jedrzejczyk engaged in what may well be the best feminine struggle of all-time. It's no longer a protracted listing while you consider competitiveness and significance, however their rematch is on the best of the listing.

Namajunas stunned everybody final November when she stopped the ladies's strawweight queen with moves. Many, together with Jedrzejczyk, pointed to a tricky weight reduce. Others merely believed Namajunas simply stuck her Polish opponent. Any lady with two fingers has a combating likelihood.

The rematch at UFC 223 left no doubt as to who the simpler fighter is.

Namajunas spent 25-minutes buying and selling moves with Jedrzejczyk, which was once considered occupation suicide a 12 months in the past. For many, the struggle got here right down to the general spherical. Jedrzejczyk performed the lengthy recreation, cutting the champion with leg kicks in an effort to restrict her motion. But Namajunas was once undeterred, taking the kicks and firing again with counters. The judges had "Thug Rose" up 3-1 heading within the ultimate body, so her overdue takedown didn't topic up to to begin with consider.

As maximum losers in an in depth resolution really feel, Jedrzejczyk idea she gained the struggle. Even regardless that she didn't get the nod, the self-proclaimed queen of the strawweights didn't lack for self belief following the struggle. That's most definitely no longer a excellent signal for long run fighters.

From more than one major match adjustments to the largest superstar in fight sports activities shedding his thoughts to one of the crucial perfect feminine fights ever. UFC 223 had the entirety that makes MMA the most efficient and worst recreation on the earth.