Max Holloway took the fight on short notice, with less than 6 days to prepare he was going to step up from the 145lbs weight class to fight Khabib for the undisputed 155lbs world championship of the UFC. Once the bout officially started, Conor McGregor was to be stripped and Tony Ferguson to no longer be considered ‘Interim’ champ and instead the number one contender.
It now appears that nutritionist George Lockhart and his team struggled to get Max Holloway on weight after initially telling the media this was the largest weight cut he has been a part of. Interestingly enough Khabib fired Lockhart as his nutrition and weight management coach once it was made public that Lockhart would be working with Max Holloway in the lead up to the fight.
Following the chaos of UFC 223 media day with Conor McGregor and his team, 3 fights from UFC 223 had been removed two due to injury caused by the broken glass, and one as a direct result of the altercation. Max Holloway’s removal has now taken the Co-main event off of UFC 223 after 3 other bouts have been removed.
No official word if Khabib will have a last minute replacement.