Ferguson suffers bizarre injury and Holloway moves up in weight to face Nurmagomedov at UFC 223

Holloway (left) replaces the injured Ferguson and faces Khabib (right) at UFC 223. Photo: Montagem SL / MMA Press

It sounds like an April 1st joke, but it's not. The main fight of UFC 223, an event that takes place next Saturday (07), unexpectedly fell this Sunday (01). The interim lightweight champion, Tony Ferguson, he injured his knee when he tripped in the street and is out of the fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov. Without wasting time, the Ultimate organization acted quickly and called up the featherweight champion Max Holloway to compete for the top category belt against the Russian in the main attraction of the show.

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Although April 1st is traditionally a date on which the US press usually releases false news, Ultimate's president, Dana White, took to social media to confirm Ferguson's injury. Through a video posted on his Twitter account, the director confirmed Holloway x Nurmagomedov for the linear belt in the 70,3 kg division.

PUBLICITY:

BOOM!!!!!! We got Khabib vs The Champ Max Holloway for the 155lb title this Saturday in Brooklyn New York!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/quvI3UqGXh

- Dana White (@danawhite) April 1th 2018

PUBLICITY:

“UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway will attempt to make history at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on April 7 when he replaces the injured Tony Ferguson and will face Khabib Nurmagomedov for the main fight of UFC 223. With a victory, Hawaiian Holloway will become the youngest fighter to win two UFC titles, only the second to hold two belts simultaneously and only the fifth to achieve the feat”, read the official statement from the Ultimate on its official website in English.

Holloway vs. Nurmagomedov.

Holloway has a professional record of 19 wins and just three losses as a professional. The Hawaiian has an incredible streak of 12 consecutive victories in the UFC alone. Holloway's last loss was to Conor McGregor, when the Irishman was still in the featherweight division and was beginning his rise in the UFC. On that occasion, in August 2013, Conor won with a unanimous decision from the judges. Max was scheduled to defend his reign at UFC 222, on the 03rd, against Frankie Edgar but he was injured on the eve of the event and was replaced by Brian ortega.

PUBLICITY:

Khabib, number 1 in the lightweight rankings, is undefeated in his MMA career, having won the 25 fights he has had, nine of them in Ultimate. In their last confrontation, the Russian was not aware of Edson Barboza, dominated the Brazilian and won resoundingly at UFC 219, in December.