Issue 176
March 2019
The first week of April may have been one of the most newsworthy in MMA history.
A confrontation at the UFC 223 fighter hotel between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Artem Lobov ended with Conor McGregor flying from Dublin to New York in a private jet to confront Nurmagomedov in Brooklyn.
The image of McGregor throwing a dolly at a bus window carrying the Russian and multiple other fighters and UFC employees unfortunately made headline news worldwide in a day that was ultimately a black-eye both for the sport and the Irishman.
Few can deny or defend McGregor’s actions that day, but thankfully the show went on and Nurmagomedov went on to secure the UFC lightweight title with a victory over Al Iaquinta in the main event.
Such was the drama outside of the Octagon, it’s often forgotten that UFC 223 was another event plagued by injuries. The original headliner between Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson was called off just six days before fight night after Ferguson tripped on a wire at a promotional shoot and suffered a serious knee injury.
It was a sickening blow for fans but for a few days at least it looked like Max Holloway would save the day stepping in on short notice. Complications with his weight cut, however, saw the Hawaiian replaced by Iaquinta barely 24 hours before the event.
One of the most chaotic fight weeks in the history of the UFC ended with Nurmagomedov holding the UFC lightweight title, but all the talk for months after would be about his feud with McGregor and the Irishman’s arrest earlier in the week.
Outside of the main event at UFC 223, Zabit Magomedsharipov and Kyle Bochniak put on one of the fights of the year in an effort that saw them awarded Fight of the Night performance bonuses. The Russian’s relentless and extravagant attacks were enough to get a unanimous decision win, but Bochniak’s zombie-like toughness won him many a fan on the night in what became a fight that was talked about for weeks after.
April was also a month where the foundations of the UFC’s 155-pound division were shaken with several key matchups taking place outside of the title picture. Dustin Poirier’s victory over Justin Gaethje at UFC on Fox 29 set up an important rematch later in the year with Eddie Alvarez. Just a week later, Kevin Lee put Edson Barboza to the sword at UFC Fight Night Atlantic City in a bout that Lee dominated after surviving a head kick that briefly made him look like Bambi on ice.
Outside of the UFC, Bellator 198 hosted a main event between Fedor Emelianenko and Frank Mir in the penultimate opening round bout of the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix. The fight lasted just 48 seconds but it was a breathless affair from start to finish with neither man taking a step back. It was Fedor who ultimately got the win after he landed a sweet hook to an onrushing Mir to leave him face-first unconscious on the mat.
On the same card, the controversial Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion Dillon Danis made his professional MMA debut defeating Kyle Walker via toe-hold submission in the first round. Just weeks earlier, it was Danis who had turned up to a court in Brooklyn to post bail for his friend McGregor.April was wild.
Also this month
- Benson Henderson defeated Roger Huerta in the main event of Bellator 196 in Budapest, Hungary.
- Michael Chandler defeated Brandon Gritz at Bellator 197 after Brent Primus pulled out of the original main event.
