UFC 223 fight week is only just beginning and tensions are already high.
In a video posted by MMAnytt, Khabib Nurmagomedov and Artem Lobov engage in a confrontation at the fighter hotel. Based on the footage, it is unclear what initially caused the incident. Both fighters were eventually separated without any type of serious physical altercation.
It’s likely that at least one source of the animosity between Nurmagomedov and Lobov stems from Nurmagomedov’s ongoing war of words with Conor McGregor. Lobov is one of McGregor’s training partners at SBG Ireland.
Nurmagomedov will face Max Holloway for the lightweight title in the UFC 223 headliner at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Saturday. Lobov, meanwhile, will square off against Alex Caceres in a preliminary featherweight duel.