It’s been a really bad week for the UFC, as their once must-see PPV UFC 223 continues to get decimated with last-minute fight cancellations. Some of those were due to Conor McGregor’s irresponsible attack on a bus loaded with fighters that sent several to the hospital with lacerations. But in the end, the majority of the damage was actually caused by the New York State Athletic Commission afterward. Their destruction of the Brooklyn card’s main event may make the UFC think twice about ever holding a major card in the state again.
The NYSAC has never been known for being particularly reasonable, often choosing to scrap a fight rather than working with fighters or promotions to sort something out. That mindset was on full display this week after they took Michael Chiesa off the card due to cuts sustained in McGregor’s bus attack. Chiesa left the hospital on Thursday night without stitches, determined to go ahead with his fight against Anthony Pettis on Saturday. But the commission decided otherwise.
A decision was made by the New York State Athletic Commission to pull me from UFC 223. I’m devastated to say the least. @Showtimepettis I hope to run this match up ASAP, June 9th in your backyard. That’s all I have to say for now. Much love.
— Michael Chiesa (@MikeMav22) April 6, 2018
We haven’t seen the severity of those cuts so it’s hard to slam the NYSAC too much on that point, but their behavior during Friday’s weigh-ins are a big reminder that you don’t want them in charge when it comes to big events. UFC featherweight Max Holloway was set to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov for the lightweight title, and his nutritionist said his weight cut was ‘going great’ … until the NYSAC stepped in and declared Holloway medically unfit to compete, leaving the UFC without a main event just a day before the show.
This from a member of Holloway’s team:
“Max wants to keep pushing and is close but the doctors came up and just stopped it. Doctors stopped it not us. Max was going.”
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) April 6, 2018
Also, I’m told NYSAC didn’t have doctors declare Max unfit to fight. It was the commission themselves who made the ruling based on how Max “looked” while watching him #UFC223
— Sam Spangler (@SamSpanglerHI) April 6, 2018
The initial emergency plan was to move former champ Anthony Pettis into the main event, but the NYSAC took issue with Pettis being switched from a three-round fight to five round championship fight. Things got even crazier when the UFC offered up Paul Felder to step in and face Khabib. Felder had already successfully weighed in at 155 pounds and was ready to go. Unfortunately for the UFC, the NYSAC determined that Felder wasn’t qualified to fight for the lightweight title. While Felder is unranked, he holds a 7-3 record in the UFC and 15-3 record overall and is considered a top prospect in the division.
I tried to get it. Commission is stopping it
— Paul Felder (@felderpaul) April 6, 2018
https://twitter.com/iainkidd/status/982303444802330625
Those looking to Felder’s #11 ranked opponent Al Iaquinta to step in were disappointed to learn New York’s rigid weight in rules disqualified him from fighting for the lightweight title because he weighed in at 155.2 pounds for the Felder fight. Non-title fights have a 1 pound weigh-in allowance, while title fights do not.
https://twitter.com/aaronbronsteter/status/982282811968143360
https://twitter.com/shppirate12/status/982322335276568581
My draws weigh .2
— Al Iaquinta🗽 (@ALIAQUINTA) April 6, 2018
After hours of negotiation, the NYSAC allowed Iaquinta to step in. But due to that .2 of a pound, he is ineligible to win the lightweight title.
The NYSAC’s rigid and irrational behavior spans further back than UFC 223. For a commission that’s only overseen MMA for a year and a half, the New York State Athletic Commission already has a lengthy track record of screwing up fights and screwing with fighters. There was that time they tried to take Pearl Gonzalez off UFC 210 because she had breast implants. The time they allowed Daniel Cormier to get away with cheating during his championship weigh-in. The time they forced fighters at UFC Fight Night 102 in Albany to wait for hours at a local hospital for stitches rather than allowing UFC doctors to suture them immediately.
They also seem to enjoy suspending fighters for random reasons, handing out a six-month suspension to Kelvin Gastelum for missing weight at UFC 205. They gave Yoel Romero a 60-day suspension for climbing out of the cage after defeating Chris Weidman at the same event. Jim Miller found out the NYSAC had medically suspended him without informing him when he tried to apply for another fight. And of course, you may have noticed they’re not too keen on allowing the UFC much leeway in making last-minute changes to fights.
As if that wasn’t enough, there’s still the potential for more craziness as the UFC hasn’t managed to get through an event in the state without some form of controversy in the cage. UFC 208 saw Germaine De Randamie beat Holly Holm by decision after the referee refused to dock her points for multiple shots after the bell. UFC 210’s co-main event between Gegard Mousasi and Chris Weidman ended in chaos after the referee stopped the fight over illegal knees that turned out to be legal.
It’s led to a situation where many fighters have straight up asked the UFC not to put them on cards in New York. And after these latest incidents at UFC 223, we wouldn’t be surprised if the UFC decides to stay away as well.
