Fight week for UFC 279 has not gone according to plan, but after a wild 24 hours that saw a backstage brawl cancel Thursday’s presser and Khamzat Chimaev miss weight by 7.5 pounds on Friday for the main event, we have an official card set for Saturday night in Las Vegas.
Chimaev will move to the co-main spot where he’ll face Kevin Holland at a catchweight after plenty of talk and their role as the two at the center of Thursday night’s ruckus backstage. The two faced off on the stage on Friday night at the weigh-in ceremony and were plenty talkative for what figures to be a heated fight.
Over a year of back & forth culminates with this
@KChimaev now faces @Trailblaze2Top TOMORROW NIGHT!
[ #UFC279 | Tomorrow | 10pmET | Live on ESPN+ PPV: https://t.co/8uiusbcc5r ] pic.twitter.com/fPDkyhlxA4
— UFC (@ufc) September 9, 2022
In the main event, Tony Ferguson will step up into Chimaev’s place in a welterweight bout with Nate Diaz that will still go five rounds, as the longtime UFC veterans will go toe to toe for the first time, something Diaz says was a long time coming while also calling out Chimaev for being afraid to fight him.
The main event we didn’t know we needed
@NateDiaz209 vs @TonyFergusonXT is closing tomorrow’s show!
[ #UFC279 | Tomorrow | 10pmET | Live on ESPN+ PPV: https://t.co/8uiusbcc5r ] pic.twitter.com/I3CApiUFE3
— UFC (@ufc) September 9, 2022
Nate Diaz, ladies and gentleman
[ @NateDiaz209 | #UFC279 ] pic.twitter.com/nDjaSpPh4X
— UFC (@ufc) September 9, 2022
Li Jingliang who was scheduled to face Ferguson will now fight Daniel Rodriguez in a three-round catchweight fight with Rodriguez weighing 8.5 pounds more than Li. Diaz and Ferguson were apparently substantially compensated for the shakeup in what Diaz promises will be his final fight with UFC, while Chimaev seemingly gets his wish of facing Holland.