In a last-minute hail mary, the UFC has essentially saved UFC 279 from falling apart by mixing up the last 3 fights of the night. Our new Main Event line up is:
Nate Diaz v.s Tony Ferguson – 5-round Main Event
Khamzat Chimaev vs. Kevin Holland – 5-round Co-Main Event
Daniel Rodriguez vs. Jingliang Li – 3 round Welterweight Bout
When Khamzat Chimaev missed the 171 lb. weight limit by 7.5 pounds, Diaz refused to accept the fight, and the MMA world stood still as UFC’s admin worked out the situation.
Rumors began of Diaz vs. Ferguson, exciting fans and appearing as a much better match-up for both fighters.
Dustin Porier claimed on Twitter to have received a call and accepted the offer to be a last-minute replacement, as he was sitting on weight for a 170 lb. bout and even had a plane and pilot on standby. However, the UFC continued to push for Diaz vs. Ferguson.
— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) September 9, 2022
As the Rumor Mill turned, talks of Chimaev vs. Holland began as well. But that seemed to be uncertain as Kevin Holland posted a video to instagram stating that his new fight requirements were 5-rounds and the Main Event.
From Kevin Holland’s IG Story: pic.twitter.com/9z01h63Gtw
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) September 9, 2022
Ultimately, the UFC was able to save the card by granting Holland the 5-round fight on the co-main event position.
Daniel Rodriguez and Kevin Holland were originally set to face-off at a 180 lb. catchweight. Therefore, Holland and Chimaev will be close in weight, but D-Rod weighed in 8.5 lbs heavier than Li.
Chimaev claims to have missed weight due to medical reasons, but no further information has been provided. He has not shown any remorse for the situation or missing weight, but fighters are typically docked 50% of their pay for missing weight.
UFC 279 happens Saturday, September 10 on ESPN+.
