'UFC 223 Embedded,' No. 5: Conor McGregor's destruction and immediate aftermath

The UFC returns to pay-per-view this weekend with the most anticipated event of the year so far, and the promotion has rolled out its “Embedded” treatment to preview UFC 223.

The event takes place Saturday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., and airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FS1.

In the headliner, Khabib Nurmagomedov (25-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) takes on Al Iaquinta (13-3-1 MMA, 8-2 UFC), a matchup that came about at the last-minute through a wild sequence of events after Max Holloway was declared medically unfit to compete during official weigh-ins. And in the co-main event, women’s strawweight champion Rose Namajunas (7-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) defends her title in a rematch with Joanna Jedrzejczyk (14-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC), who she defeated five months ago to win the belt.

Here’s the UFC’s description of the fifth “Embedded” episode:

On Episode 5 of UFC 223 Embedded, lightweight champion Conor McGregor unexpectedly arrives, causing a disruption on the loading dock. Dana White checks in with athletes affected by the incident and addresses the situation. The UFC celebrates its 25th anniversary by visiting the New York Stock Exchange. Ragin’ Al Iaquinta steps in to take on Khabib Nurmagomedov in the main event. UFC 223 Embedded is an all-access, behind-the-scenes video blog leading up to the two championship bouts at UFC 223: Khabib vs. Iaquinta on Saturday, April 7 on Pay-Per-View.

Also see:

• ‘UFC 223 Embedded,’ No. 1: How Khabib Nurmagomedov handled Tony Ferguson withdrawal news
• ‘UFC 223 Embedded,’ No. 2: Max Holloway, Khabib Nurmagomedov have first encounter
• ‘UFC 223 Embedded,’ No. 3: Joanna Jedrzejczyk channels ‘Get Smart’ with a shoe phone
• ‘UFC 223 Embedded,’ No. 4: The relative calm before the Conor McGregor (expletive) storm

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