As it turns out, Michael Chiesa won’t be fighting at UFC 223 after all.
Chiesa’s pay-per-view fight against former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis has been cancelled, sources told MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani late Thursday.
Chiesa was transported to a Brooklyn hospital Thursday afternoon after suffering multiple cuts as a result of McGregor’s melee inside of the Barclays Center.
Chiesa initially believed his injuries would not prevent him from fighting on April 7, however the final call was made by the New York State Athletic Commission late Thursday to remove Chiesa from the card of UFC 223.
In a tweet, Chiesa stated that he was “devastated” by the news and asked Pettis to re-book the fight for June 9 at UFC 225.
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
McGregor is currently “wanted for questioning” by the New York Police Department for his actions at the Barclays Center. The UFC lightweight champion and his team incited a melee in “retaliation” for Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Tuesday altercation with McGregor’s teammate Artem Lobov. During the fracas, McGregor hurled a dolly through a window of the UFC 223 red-corner fighter bus, shattering glass on Chiesa and flyweight contender Ray Borg.
Chiesa (14-3) was scheduled to return from a 10-month layoff at UFC 223. The 30-year-old fighter saw his three-fight win streak come to an end in his last outing, a first-round submission loss to Kevin Lee in June 2017.