Tony Ferguson out, Max Holloway steps in for UFC 223 main event

Bengaluru, April 2: Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson's lightweight Championship fight scheduled for this weekend at UFC 223 on April 7 in Brooklyn has been scrapped as Ferguson was forced to pull out with an injury, according to MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani.

This particular bout seems to be cursed as Nurmagomedov and Ferguson had been scheduled to fight three times before and none of those came to fruition for differnent reasons. This time it was set for the undisputed lightweight title, with current champion Conor McGregor expected be stripped of the belt.

UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway has stepped in to replace Ferguson for the fight against Nurmagomedov now with the lightweight belt on the line, Helwani reports. Ferguson suffered an injury a few days ago and had to withdraw.

Tony heal up man. Just want to advise you, don’t talk too much anymore. Lot of thoughts in my head right now, but I don’t want to become like you. Hope, this lesson will teach you watch your mouth. ❗️ На счёт этой ситуации я просто хочу сказать Тони: больше не болтай, в голове конечно много мыслей, на тебя похожим не буду, надеюсь этот урок научит тебя следить за языком. #ready #ufc223 #Alhamdulillah #победатолькоотВсевышнего

A post shared by Khabib Nurmagomedov (@khabib_nurmagomedov) on Apr 1, 2018 at 4:25pm PDT

UFC president Dana White told ESPN that Ferguson tore his LCL and needs surgery.

"He actually tore it off the bone, he's gonna need surgery on his knee," White said.

White reiterated that Nurmagomedov vs. Holloway would be for the undisputed lightweight title.

"As soon as these guys step in the ring and throw a punch, it's on for the title," White said. "Whoever wins, wins the title and we'll see what happens with Conor over the next several months. I know he had expressed some interest in fighting in September."

Ferguson became the interim champion in the 155-pound division when he defeated Kevin Lee by third-round submission at UFC 216 last October.

Battle between King Cobra and Reticulated Python. Both dead when found #UFC223 pic.twitter.com/4wRZ47aWad
— Max Holloway (@BlessedMMA) April 1, 2018

Holloway, meanwhile, has held the featherweight belt since June 2017. He'll try to become only the second fighter in UFC history to hold two belts in two different weight classes at the same time after McGregor.

Nurmagomedov is fresh off a unanimous decision win over Edson Barboza at UFC 219 in December. The Russian is one of the few high-level fighters in the upper reaches of a UFC division still undefeated.

Ferguson reacted to this via social media and apologised to all parties involved.