Khabib Nurmagomedov is the UFC Lightweight Champion after a dominant five-round unanimous decision win over Al Iaquinta at UFC 223 on Saturday. Nurmagomedov showed some suspect defense in the standing game, but was never really in danger, beating the last-minute replacement in all five rounds, some so convincingly that they were 10-8 or even 10-7.
Nurmagomedov officially won, 50-44, 50-43, 50-43. And he saw fit to call out both Georges St-Pierre and Conor McGregor in the post-fight interview.
In the co-main event, Rose Namajunas and Joanna Jędrzejczyk combined for a fight of the year candidate that went all five rounds. In the end, Namajunas edged out Jędrzejczyk to hold on to the UFC Women’s Strawweight Championship, taking a 49-46 on all three scorecards.
“I’m just better, man,” Namajunas said, after admitting that Jędrzejczyk potentially suffered from a bad weight cut in their first meeting. That first meeting was a first-round knockout win for Namajunas.
This one looked like it might be more of the same as Namajunas was very fast and active through the first two rounds, landing the more precise shots and avoiding Jędrzejczyk.
SB Nation scored the third and fourth rounds for Jędrzejczyk though, as she began to find her timing while Namajunas slowed down. But in the fifth, Namajunas took back over and landed some hard shots that seemed to affect Jędrzejczyk’s ability to see clearly, and convincingly won the fifth round.
Going into the main event, Iaquinta was coming off a five-fight winning streak that included a first-round knockout of Diego Sanchez in his last bout.
Joe Lauzon’s corner threw in the towel after the second round of his main card opener against Chris Gruetzemacher, and it was the right decision. Gruetzemacher was in control of the bout and arguably had a 10-7 round in the second. After that was a thrilling three-round fight between Zabit Magomedsharipov and Kyle Bochniak. Magomedsharipov used his range to pepper Bochniak over three rounds, though his opponent never gave up and kept coming forward for a very impressive matchup.
It was a unanimous decision win for Magomedsharipov. Another excellent gameplan was showcased in the next fight, a unanimous decision win for Renato Moicano over Calvin Kattar. Moicano controlled the fight with brutal leg kicks that took away all of Kattar’s power.
On the preliminary card, Evan Dunham was stunned by a first-round TKO at the hands of Olivier Aubin-Mercier, who landed a big knee to the body that started a slurry of strikes that led to the stoppage. The highlight, though, was the final preliminary bout, between Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Felice Herrig. Kowalkiewicz managed to win a narrow split decision, but it was an exciting back-and-forth fight.
A wild week — for primarily the wrong reasons — comes to an end for the UFC. Nurmagomedov was originally scheduled to face Tony Ferguson in the main event of Saturday’s card, but that fight was scrapped when Ferguson suffered an injury. The UFC then considered pulling Nurmagomedov from the card in order to set up a potential matchup with Conor McGregor, who Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting reports was working on getting a new deal done with the company prior to the event.
That went south quickly, as McGregor attacked the bus carrying Nurmagomedov as well as several other fighters on the card, throwing a dolly through one of the windows. McGregor was responding to a perceived slight from Nurmagomedov, who has an altercation with McGregor’s friend, Artem Lobov, at a hotel on Tuesday.
Unfortunately, multiple people were injured as a result of this assault, including Michael Chiesa and Brandon Moreno, who had to back out of their fights against Anthony Pettis and Ray Borg, respectively. Lobov, who was set to face Alex Caceres, was also pulled from the card. McGregor was arrested and charged with three counts of assault and one count of criminal mischief, and is expected to have his next hearing on June 14.
Max Holloway was then installed as the replacement for Nurmagomedov, but the Nevada State Athletic Commission deemed him medically unfit to compete during his short-notice weight cut. Potential bouts against Pettis and Paul Felder also fell through, leading to Iaquinta stepping in. As a result of all of this, multiple fights were moved around on the card, and the company didn’t have enough fights to even run UFC Fight Pass prelims.
Below, you can find the round-by-round action from our live blog, and below that is a full list of results for the UFC 223: Khabib vs. Iaquinta fight card.
Khabib Nurmagomedov def. Al Iaquinta via unanimous decision (50-44, 50-43, 50-43)
Round 1: Iaquinta just misses with a hard right hand. Short left jab from Nurmagomedov, and a failed takedown attempt. He shoots for another and gets a single leg. It looks like Iaquinta is going to escape, but Nurmagomedov has a death grip on his leg, and eventually flips him down to his back. He’s quickly into side control. Iaquinta gives up his back, and scrambles, managing to get back to his feet against the fence. Iaquinta is trying for a kimura, but Nurmagomedov gets away from it. Hard underhand shots to the face from Nurmagomedov, who is holding Iaquinta against the fence. More hard shots from Nurmagomedov. Iaquinta walks his way up the fence and gets standing, but Nurmagomedov slams him down hard. Iaquinta gets back standing, but he has no time to land anything.
SB Nation scores the round 10-8 for Nurmagomedov.
Round 2: Iaquinta comes out with a lower stance, to defend against the takedown. Nurmagomedov dives for the heel takedown again, but doesn’t get it. Iaquinta has no time to breathe though, as Nurmagomedov simply shoots for another takedown, and slams Iaquinta down. He lands some short ground-and-pound, and Iaquinta tries to walk his way up the fence again. After a minute of this, he gives up his back and Nurmagomedov hops on. He flattens him out and throws hard punches from the side. Iaquinta is limiting the damage, but he can’t really do anything but survive. The round ends with Iaquinta tied up completely.
SB Nation scores the round 10-8 for Nurmagomedov.
Round 3: Right jab from Nurmagomedov connects. Left hand over the top from both fighters lands. Iaquinta misses with a heavy wide left hook. Head kick by Nurmagomedov is blocked. Short left hook from Nurmagomedov lands. Missed takedown attempt for Nurmagomedov. Right hand over the top from Iaquinta lands and does some damage, but Nurmagomedov is fine. Two stiff jabs right on the nose from Nurmagomedov. Good body kick from Nurmagomedov. Iaquinta lands a nice counter right hand while blocking a low kick. Short left from Nurmagomedov. The round comes to an end with Iaquinta swinging a big hook that just misses.
SB Nation scores the round 10-9 for Nurmagomedov.
Round 4: The fast left jab continues to land hard from Nurmagomedov, who is trying to bully Iaquinta here. He’s not shooting for the takedown, but he can probably get it whenever he wants after those first two rounds. Iaquinta had his best round in the third, but it still wasn’t close. Left straight from Iaquinta sneaks through. Nurmagomedov goes for a single leg, but he shoots from too far away and Iaquinta steps out of it. Iaquinta shoots for a takedown, and Nurmagomedov gets out of it, but Iaquinta tags him with ah ard left hand that definitely did some damage. But Nurmagomedov shakes it off and lands three consecutive jabs. Left straight from Iaquinta lands. Nurmagomedov responds with a big jab, and another. Iaquinta lands a hook near the end of the round. Closer, again, but still not a win for Iaquinta.
SB Nation scores the round 10-9 for Nurmagomedov.
Round 5: The jab continues to land for Nurmagomedov, and Iaquinta’s face continues to be bloodies. Iaquinta does land a hard left over the top, but Nurmagomedov handles it. Iaquinta misses with a wide spinning back fist. Iaquinta fakes a takedown attempt and throws wild hooks, but Nurmagomedov is fine. He’s a little stiff, and is keeping his chin way too far out there, but he’s not in danger. Nurmagomedov starts to put something together, a big punch combo that stumbles Iaquinta. He runs in and throws a jumping knee that lands in the upper body, and Iaquinta is backed into the fence. Blood is pouring out of his face, and Nurmagomedov is on top against the fence. Nurmagomedov takes his back, with hooks in. He wants the finish, and he tries for a rear-naked choke. He can’t get under the chin though. He stays on top through the end of the fifth.
SB Nation scores the round 10-8 for Nurmagomedov, for a total score of 50-42 for Nurmagomedov.
Rose Namajunas def. Joanna Jędrzejczyk via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46)
Round 1: They don’t touch gloves to begin, but both take the center of the octagon. Leg kick from Jędrzejczyk lands nicely. They’re both getting a feel for things, nothing really landing over the first two minutes. Both want the counter strike, though Jędrzejczyk has thrown many short jabs. Namajunas lands a hook to the body, and Jędrzejczyk connects with another leg kick. Good leg kick from Jędrzejczyk, who also gets out of the way of the follow-up hook from Namajunas. Big right hand from Namajunas lands though, and a second one, but Jędrzejczyk handles it. Left hook from Namajunas grazes, and she misses with the overhand right. Namajunas is keeping Jędrzejczyk off balance with her movement. Right hook followed by a hard counter left lands from Jędrzejczyk at the close of the round. It was probably the biggest shot of the round, but it’s still Namajunas’ round.
SB Nation scores the round 10-9 for Namajunas.
Round 2: Feint kick from Namajunas followed by a heavy one-two combo, and the timing is near perfect. Jędrzejczyk connects with a leg kick. Another leg kick from Jędrzejczyk. Left straight lands for Namajunas, right hook misses but the second left hits hard. Big leg kick from Jędrzejczyk. Counter left from Namajunas just falls short. They clinch, and Jędrzejczyk connects with a hard knee to the body. Jędrzejczyk says she took an eye poke, but the referee says no. Short left hook connects for Jędrzejczyk, but Namajunas lands a nice counter left. Jędrzejczyk keeps standing still when throwing the right, and Namajunas is going to win if she keeps doing it. Clinch against the fence, and Jędrzejczyk connects with a good knee to the body. This is a hard round to score!
SB Nation scores the round 10-9 for Namajunas.
Round 3: Good leg kicks from Jędrzejczyk to start the round, but she eats a big right hand for her troubles. Namajunas’ corner told her to stay out of the clinch with Jędrzejczyk, and it looks like she’s trying for that. Two jabs land from Jędrzejczyk, who manages to avoid the brunt of a spinning back fist from Namajunas. More hard leg kicks from Jędrzejczyk, and then a head kick. Jędrzejczyk has clearly found her timing, though Namajunas isn’t exactly fading. Nice body kick from Jędrzejczyk. Right hand over the top from Jędrzejczyk lands flush on Namajunas. The momentum seems to be shifting!
SB Nation scores the round 10-9 for Jędrzejczyk.
Round 4: Hard inside leg kick from Jędrzejczyk , and then another one. Namajunas’ legs are very red from the leg kicks. Left kick to the body from Namajunas during a flurry where Jędrzejczyk landed a stiff right jab. Good right hook from Namajunas as she’s backing up. Jędrzejczyk with a nice left jab, then another. Another leg kick. Namajunas staggers from the next leg kick. Jędrzejczyk puts together a nice combo. Namajunas isn’t moving nearly as much, she’s slowing down. Jędrzejczyk smiles big and is goading Namajunas into throwing, which is surprising given the knockout from their first fight. Left jab from Jędrzejczyk. Left to the body, and she eats a bit of a hook from Namajunas. Leg kick from Jędrzejczyk as the round ends.
SB Nation scores the round 10-9 for Jędrzejczyk.
Round 5: Namajunas is coming forward again, and she lands a stiff left over the top. Jędrzejczyk smiles and waves it off, and connects with a jab of her own. One-two over the top from Jędrzejczyk lands, and they get into a wild flurry, with Namajunas connecting hard with the right hand on the nose. Jędrzejczyk seems to be having troubles with the nose, which is now leaking blood. Big uppercut from Namajunas, who isn’t moving that well but is throwing with so much more power. Jędrzejczyk is starting to come back though, landing a couple jabs. She may be having trouble seeing from her left side, and Namajunas is throwing more right hands as a result. Jędrzejczyk lands a nice counter hook when Namajunas comes in. Stiff left jab from Jędrzejczyk, and another one … and another one. But Namajunas lands a nice left over the top. Namajunas goes in for a takedown and gets it with 20 seconds to go. Jędrzejczyk quickly gets her nback to the fence and lands multiple shots from the position. WHAT A FIGHT!
SB Nation scores the round 10-9 for Namajunas, for a total of 48-47 for Namajunas.
Renato Moicano def. Calvin Kattar via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Round 1: A feeling out period here for the first minute or so, both fighters just testing their range. Kattar tags him with a hook and Moicano responds with a flurry of his own, though nothing lands. Good body kick from Moicano. Both fighters want to land the counter strike. Moicano connects with a nice right hand counter when Kattar comes in, and while stepping away lands a body kick. A pair of nice leg kicks from Moicano land, and he needs to keep that up. Kattar wants that overhand right, but it doesn’t find its mark as the round ends. Really close round.
SB Nation scores the round 10-9 for Moicano.
Round 2: Moicano comes into the round doubling down on the leg kicks. They’re hitting hard, and Kattar is going to have trouble planting to land the power punches he’s capable of. He’s standing much straighter now, and pulling his leg back more drastically to try and avoid them. Left jab from Kattar does land, but Moicanno lands two more leg kicks, both right above the knee. Kattar stumbles from an inside leg kick. Kattar is getting his right hand out there, and occasionally connecting, but there’s no power behind it at all. Moicano is executing his gameplan perfectly.
SB Nation scores the round 10-9 for Moicano.
Round 3: Moicano comes forward with some punches for a change, and he lands a pair of hooks. He dodges an overhand from Kattar, and steps into a big inside leg kick. More and more leg kicks from Moicano. Lots of swelling on the legs of Kattar, especially on the inside leg. One-two punch combo from Moicano lands. Huge uppercut from Moicano, followed by a right hook and another uppercut. Kattar partially blocks the last two, but they do damage. Kattar tries to rush in for a knockout near the end, but he can’t get it.
SB Nation scores the round 10-8 for Moicano, for a total score of 30-26 for Moicano.
Zabit Magomedsharipov def. Kyle Bochniak via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Round 1: Bochniak rushes in to close the distance on the taller, rangier Magomedsharipov. He throws wide hooks, but can’t quite land. He eats a short spinning back kick to the body from Magomedsharipov. Left kick to the body from Magomedsharipov while Bochniak misses with a hook. Stiff left jab from Magomedsharipov transitions into another back kick to the body. He tries a big step-over head kick, but Bochniak ducks under it. Two kicks to the body from Magomedsharipov, and a rangey jab. Bochniak just misses with a massive haymaker counter. That one would have been brutal for Magomedsharipov, but he avoided it. Bochniak does land a nice hook combo to the upper body. Two quick kicks from Magomedsharipov land to the leg and body. Magomedsharipov lands a nice kick to the side of the head, but Bochniak partially blocks it. Right hand over the top from Bochniak lands, and Magomedsharipov throws a spinning back fist that just grazes him. Both land right hands as the round ends.
SB Nation scores the round 10-9 for Magomedsharipov.
Round 2: Magomedsharipov gets Bochniak’s back early in the round, standing against the fence. It takes him nearly a minute, but he drags Bochniak down and is on top in full guard. He doesn’t get much done there though, and they get back to their feet after a bit. Magomedsharipov connects with a big left hand that hurt Bochniak, but he keeps coming forward, and points to his own chin. He eats another shot, and lands a hook to the body. But Bochniak is cut near his right eye and he’s taken in way more damage from way more angles. Bochniak misses with a huge left hook, and Magomedsharipov uses the momentum to sweep Bochniak onto his back. He’s in full guard again, but they get back to standing fairly quickly. Bochniak continues coming forward, but he’s not throwing any kicks and Magomedsharipov is keeping himself out of range.
SB Nation scores the round 10-9 for Magomedsharipov
Round 3: Bochniak looks rough, but he rushes out at the start of the round, winging one-two hook combos. None of them are landing, but Magomedsharipov does have to back up. He handles the pressure though, and catches Bochniak with another spinning kick. Bochniak doesn’t slow down, and Magomedsharipov goes for, and gets the takedown. Again, Bochniak handles himself well from his back and they get to their feet quickly. Not for long, though, as Magomedsharipov gets him down again and into full guard. Bochniak’s entire face is bloody. Bochniak drags himself up, and Magomedsharipov drags him down again. Bochniak is holding his own in the grappling surprisingly well, but he’s not able to mount any real offense. Good jab from Magomedsharipov. Missed takedown from Magomedsharipov, who is looking a little bit tired. He’s backing up against the fence, and nearly eats a big hook from Bochniak, who seems like he can go on forever. Bochniak lands a right hook flush on the jaw, and Magomedsharipov takes a big breath to look at the clock. Two left hooks from Bochniak land. Magomedsharipov starts winging hooks too. They both eat big shots at the end, but Bochniak landed the bigger ones. The round and fight ends.
SB Nation scores the round 10-9 for Magomedsharipov, for a total score of 30-27 for Magomedsharipov.
Chris Gruetzemacher def. Joe Lauzon via TKO (corner stoppage) after Round 2
Round 1: They touch gloves and Lauzon is throwing early and fast. He gets multiple one-two combos and a couple jabs in while Gruetzemacher is still getting set. No serious damge is done though. Lauzon throws a four-punch combo, none of which land. Lauzon lands a nice, short right elbow followed by a left jab. They end up on the ground, with Gruetzemacher on top, but Lauzon, a dangerous jiu-jitsu practitioner, is trying to lock in a heel hook or a leg lock. He comes close, but doesn’t get it and they return standing. Lauzon gets a nice knee from the clinch, ad Gruetzemacher lands three consecutive jabs. Gruetzemacher is doing a lot of keeping his hand out there directly in front of Lauzon’s lead hand. They go to the clinch and Gruetzemacher connects with a hard uppercut. Lauzon is already looking a little tired. Good left jab, right hook combo from Gruetzemacher. Lauzon may have punched himself out. Gruetzemacher controls to the end of the round.
SB Nation scores the round 10-9 for Gruetzemacher.
Round 2: Nice leg kick from Gruetzemacher to start. Lauzon is backing up, and eats a big right, then a kick to the body. Lauzon shoots for the takedown, doesn’t get it, and fails again on the second attempt. Powerful knee to the body from Gruetzemacher, and a good uppercut to follow. Two hooks to the body from Gruetzemacher. Lauzon is bloodied and has serious swelling over his right eye. Gruetzemacher is totally in control here. Kick to the body from Gruetzemacher. Lauzon is trying to connect on sloppy, wide hooks, and Gruetzemacher isn’t in any danger. Referee should probably stop this to get the eye looked at. This isn’t even close. Lauzon gets to the end of the round, and Lauzon’s corner throws in the towel, as they should.
SB Nation scores the round 10-7 for Gruetzemacher.
UFC 223 full fight card results
Main Card
Lightweight: Khabib Nurmagomedov def. Al Iaquinta via unanimous decision (50-44, 50-43, 50-43)
Women’s Strawweight: Rose Namajunas def. Joanna Jędrzejczyk via unanimous decision (49-46, 49-46, 49-46)
Featherweight: Renato Moicano def. Calvin Kattar via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Featherweight: Zabit Magomedsharipov def. Kyle Bochniak via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Lightweight: Chris Gruetzemacher def. Joe Lauzon via TKO (corner stoppage) after Round 2
Preliminary Card
Women’s Strawweight: Karolina Kowalkiewicz def. Felice Herrig via split decision 29-28, 28-29, 29-28
Lightweight: Olivier Aubin-Mercier def. Evan Dunham via TKO (knee and punches) at 0:53 of Round 1
Women’s Flyweight: Ashlee Evans-Smith def. Bec Rawlings via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Light Heavyweight: Devin Clark def. Mike Rodriguez via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
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Cara Bahringer
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