Artem Lobov pulled from UFC 223 after alleged involvement in Conor McGregor incident

While the immediate aftermath of Conor McGregor’s incident following Thursday’s UFC 223 media day in Brooklyn, N.Y. remains chaotic, one thing became instantly clear: McGregor’s buddy, Artem Lobov, has been pulled from his UFC 223 fight with Alex Caceres.

In an impromptu press conference with a small gathering of reporters, UFC president Dana White said that Lobov, a Dublin-based fighter of Russian descent, was part of a crew of “20 people” who descended upon a van carrying fighters from the media day back to the host hotel.

Lightweight Michael Chiesa was hospitalized with lacerations after the mob threw objects at the van and shattered a windshield. On the bus was headliner Khabib Nurmagomedov, who had gotten into an hotel altercation with Lobov yesterday.

“Artem’s off the card,” White told reporters. “Artem’s not fighting.”

Update: Sources told MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani that officials will not be finding a short-notice opponent for Caceres and thus he will not be competing on Saturday’s card. It is unknown whether Caceres will receive his show money for the bout.