Khabib Nurmagomedov
Khabib Nurmagomedov, pictured during UFC 205 at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 12, 2016 in New York City, was still unsure of his UFC 223 opponent 30 hours before the start of the event. Michael Reaves/Getty Images

To say that the card for UFC 223 is in a state of flux would be a gross understatement. There probably isn’t a word in the English language that would accurately describe what’s happened to one of the biggest pay-per-views of 2018.

It’s a confluence of events that feels like it should be straight out of a WWE storyline. Conor McGregor turned himself into police Thursday night and has been charged with three counts of misdemeanor assault for allegedly attacking a bus at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, on which there were multiple UFC fighters. The incident has disrupted multiple fights on a card that was expected to determine McGregor’s next opponent.

The main event has been changed multiple times, though that isn’t even the result of McGregor’s handiwork. An injury and other issues have left Khabib Nurmagomedov without an opponent a day before he’s supposed to fight for the UFC lightweight championship.

It all started Easter Sunday when interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson was forced off the card because of an injury. UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway was named his replacement on six days’ notice, pitting him against Nurmagomedov for the 155-pound title in the main event.

Shortly before weigh-ins Friday morning, Holloway was declared medically unfit to compete. Anthony Pettis became the top candidate to replace Holloway, but that fell through because of a money dispute with the UFC. Paul Felder then stepped up to challenged Nurmagomedov, but the NYSAC wouldn’t allow it because he is not among UFC’s 10 ranked lightweight fighters.

Al Iaquinta, who’s scheduled to face Felder in a lightweight bout on Saturday’s card, has also pushed for a shot at Nurmagomedov. He weighed in at 155.2 pounds, which would disqualify him from competing for the 155-pound belt, though he could end up facing Nurmagomedov without the title on the line.

Pettis lost his spot on the main card Thursday night when his opponent, Michael Chiesa, was pulled from UFC 223 because of facial cuts he suffered when the bus was attacked. The fight between Ray Borg and Brandon Moreno was canceled from the FS1 prelims because Borg suffered corneal abrasions during the incident. Artem Lobov was pulled from his fight with Alex Caceres, which was scheduled to air on UFC Fight Pass, because he was in the group with McGregor that vandalized the vehicle.

The entire card—from the prelims to the PPV—went from 13 fights to 10 fights Thursday night. Just a few hours later, it’s unknown who will take on Nurmagomedov.

The changes could mean that the main event of UFC 223 will feature two completely new fighters. It would make sense to elevate the Women’s strawweight championship fight between Rose Namajunas and Joanna Jędrzejczyk to the top of the card.

With less than 30 hours remaining until the start of UFC 223 and an opponent for Nurmagomedov yet to be determined, here is the current card:

Main Card

Women's Strawweight Championship: Rose Namajunas vs. Joanna Jędrzejczyk

Featherweight: Renato Moicano vs. Calvin Kattar

Featherweight: Zabit Magomedsharipov vs. Kyle Bochniak

Lightweight: Al Iaquinta vs. Paul Felder

FS1 Prelims

Women’s Strawweight: Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Felice Herrig

Lightweight: Joe Lauzon vs. Chris Gruetzemacher

Women's Flyweight: Bec Rawlings vs. Ashlee Evans-Smith

Lightweight: Evan Dunham vs. Olivier Aubin-Mercier

UFC Fight Pass Early Prelims

Light Heavyweight: Devin Clark vs. Mike Rodriguez

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