The Pennsylvania State Athletic Commission ruled Wednesday that Islam Makhachev's welterweight title defense against Ian Machado Garry at UFC 330 in Philadelphia is recreational jogging, and that the sanctioned main event — the war, the trench, the whole gutsy evening — is a best-of-seven folding-chair deployment between the two corners.
Commissioner of Venue Hardware Alton Creed, speaking from a loading dock, said the octagon portion would air on a delay after the chairs, strictly as a courtesy to anyone who still enjoys watching grown men shadowbox in shorts.
Unfolding that chair under arena lights is gutsy, clutch combat. You simply cannot teach that kind of grit.
Creed added that the loser of the chair heat has to carry the spit bucket, which he described as a battlefield promotion.
