NYSAC rules out Paul Felder as UFC 223 headliner opposite Khabib Nurmagomedov because he's unranked

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Official rankings have come back to bite the UFC in a way that hardly could have been imagined before the promotion arrived in New York for UFC 223.

After UFC featherweight champ Max Holloway (19-3 MMA, 15-3 UFC) was deemed medically unfit to face Khabib Nurmagomedov (25-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) at Saturday’s pay-per-view event, lightweight veteran and UFC commentator Paul Felder (15-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) emerged as an unlikely replacement.

But Felder’s one-in-a-million opportunity was soon dashed by the New York State Atletic Commission, who ruled him unfit as a title challenger because he’s an unranked lightweight.

The news was confirmed to MMAjunkie following tweets from Felder and his co-manager Bryan Hamper, who wrote, “And the justification from commission is a ranking… you’re doing great NYSAC keep it up!” A NYSAC representative wasn’t immediately reachable for comment.

Via Twitter:

Felder, the No. 15 fighter in the MMAjunkie/USA TODAY Sports MMA lightweight rankings, is expected to face his originally scheduled opponent, Al Iaquinta (13-3-1 MMA, 8-2 UFC), who tweeted his ability to make weight for the short-notice title fight.

Via Twitter:

The UFC began a mad scramble to replace Holloway after the commission stopped him from cutting weight. In a statement, Holloway apologized to Nurmagomedov and said he wanted to continue shedding pounds.

With several UFC lightweights competing on the card, the promotion had several fighters to chose from. But it quickly centered on ex-champ Anthony Pettis (20-7 MMA, 7-6 UFC), who’d lost his fight with Michael Chiesa (14-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) on Thursday after lightweight champ Conor McGregor (21-3 MMA, 9-1 UFC) injured Chiesa during a rampage through the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., which hosts the pay-per-view event.

At today’s official weigh-ins, Pettis stepped on the scale at 155.2 pounds, a mark that would have cleared him for a non-title bout. But before he was allowed a second attempt, as is customary within a two-hour window, NYSAC commission officials pulled up the scale, effectively ruling Pettis out of the title fight.

According to FOX Sports UFC reporter Karyn Bryant, the ultimate reason for Pettis’ scratch was not about his weight, but his financial demands. The former champ asked for a bigger payday to fight Nurmagomedov and was countered with a smaller offer.

Attention then shifted to Felder, who came in at exactly 155 pounds. But after a brief moment of uncertainty, the veteran lightweight became another casualty of a dramatic fight week for MMA’s industry leader.

For more on UFC 223, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.