Dana White announces huge last-minute changes to UFC 279 main card after Khamzat Chimaev missed weight to throw whole event into chaos… as Tony Ferguson steps up to fight Nate Diaz in new co-headline slot
- Chimaev weighed in at over seven pounds above for his fight with Diaz
- Dana White announced a total of three changes to the card with 24 hours left
- Kevin Holland will now fight Chimaev in the catchweight co-main event
UFC president Dana White has announced a historic reshuffleing of the fight card for UFC 279, only two days before the event is scheduled to take place.
As a result of Khamzat Chimaev being seven and a half pounds over the weight limit for the original main event between him and Nate Diaz, three new fights have been announced.
Nate Diaz will now face Tony Ferguson and Chimaev will now face Kevin-Holland in the co-main events.
Li Jingliang also has a new opponent as he will now face Daniel Rodriguez, after originally being slated to fight Ferguson. Rodriguez had been originally set to face before the last minute game of musical martial arts took place.
The new card is not lacking of storylines, as Holland and Chimaev reportedly got into a physical altercation on Thursday, that lead to the UFC 279 pre-fight press conference being abruptly canceled.
It also removes the controversy surrounding that fight after Diaz had no interest in fighting Chimaev, and wanted the fight with Ferguson the entire time as he tries to finishing out the remaining number of fights on his UFC contract.
‘They’re acting like I called for this fight, which I didn’t call for and don’t want and didn’t want and still don’t want,’ Diaz told ESPN. ‘But I don’t give a f—, I’ll fight anybody. But, [the] pressure is on him, he better finish me, because he’s the next killer in town.
‘This fight isn’t even about this guy… it’s about ‘making’ this guy. And I’m like, ‘OK, you guys aren’t going to let me go? Because I’m the best fighter here? And you’re not gonna let me go unless it’s off of somebody? I gotta make somebody for you? Well, alright, you’re welcome. Let’s make you.’ You’re welcome, UFC…’
While the narrative of whether or not the UFC was trying to ‘feed,’ one of it’s legendary names in Diaz, to one of it’s hottest up-and- comers in Chimaev may no longer hang over this current card but remains to be seen if it will be revisited down the line.
Khamzat Chimaev smiled as he missed weight for his UFC 279 main event clash against Nate Diaz
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