UFC 223 took some big hits in the week leading up to the event, but it didn't harm the company's bottom line.
Taking place at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, the event, headlined by Khabib Nurmagomedov and Al Iaquinta, drew 17,026 fans for a $3 million gate. That tops their last trip to Barclays in February 2017 when Holly Holm and Germaine de Randamie drew 15,628 for a gate of $22 million.
Saturday's event underwent a whirlwind of changes with Tony Ferguson and Max Holloway pulling out of the main event fight against Nurmagomedov the week of the fight. Along with three changes to the top bout, the undercard took a hit thanks to Conor McGregor's attack on a bus. Artem Lobov was pulled from his fight against Alex Caceres while Michael Chiesa and Ray Borg were unable to compete due to shattered glass from the McGregor incident. Chiesa was scheduled to face Anthony Pettis while Borg was set to battle Brandon Moreno. Furthermore, Iaquinta's original bout with Paul Felder was scrapped as Iaquinta was moved to the main event.
Despite the last minute changes, Dana White said no refunds were issued and thanked for the fans for their support.
When it came to the action in the cage, Zabit Magomedsharipov, Kyle Bochniak, Chris Gruetzemacher and Olivier Aubin-Mercier all delivered. All four men took home an extra $50,000 in post-fight bonuses. Magomedsharipov and Bochniak grabbed Fight of the Night honors for their wild instant classic. Gruetzemacher stopped Joe Lauzon after two rounds and Aubin-Mercier decimated Evan Dunham inside of a minute.
Full details from the event:
Gate: $3 million
Attendance: 17,026
Fight of the Night ($50,000 each): Zabit Magomedsharipov and Kyle Bochniak
Performance of the Night ($50,000 each): Olivier Aubin-Mercier and Chris Gruetzemacher
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