It started as a ‘total disaster’ – and ended with a UFC 279 fight card somehow even better than originally slated.
Following yesterday’s “absolute s**tshow” at the press conference as fighters brawled backstage, in the words of UFC boss Dana White, all eyes were trained to the official weigh-ins.
But headline fighter and unbeaten welterweight star Khamzat Chimaev missed weight by a whopping 7.5 pounds for his main event with Nate Diaz, forcing the UFC to scrap the main bout and hastily rearrange three new fights.
“What a complete and total disaster,” tweeted USA Today’s Mike Bohn after Chimaev missed weight. “Smiling and shrugging it off does not help Khamzat’s cause here, either.”
Out of the ashes, Dana White pulled off what appeared to be impossible – managing to rearrange the entire fight card to create three new bouts.
DETAILS: UFC scraps main event, makes THREE new fights in all-time chaos
Nate Diaz will fight fellow fan favourite Tony Ferguson. Chimaev will fight Kevin Holland – having kicked him in the chest at yesterday’s press-conference – and Li Jingliang will fight Daniel Rodriguez – who weighed in 8.5 pounds heavier.
The chaos sent the UFC world into meltdown.
Watch UFC 279: Chimaev v Diaz LIVE on Main Event available on Kayo & Foxtel, Sunday 11 September from 12pm AEST. ORDER NOW >
UFC CHAOS
‘Absolute s***show’: UFC presser abandoned as details emerge on what sparked wild backstage brawl
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