Breaking – Nate Diaz x Tony Ferguson headlines UFC 279, Khamzat Chimaev now draws Kevin Holland

On one of the most memorable days and biggest fights in professional mixed martial arts in recent memory, tomorrow’s UFC 279 card from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, underwent a shake-up of historic proportions.

Initially, the promotion’s pay-per-view return to ‘Sin City’ was scheduled to feature a welterweight main event booked to feature undefeated welterweight force Khamzat Chimaev and fan-favorite veteran Khamzat Chimaev. Nate Diaz.

However, the fight was in jeopardy after Chimaev missed the non-title welterweight limit of 171 pounds by a staggering seven and a half pounds at today’s official weigh-ins, forcing his anticipated bout with Diaz, who had successfully made weight. .

In the original co-main event, former interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson was scheduled to make his first welterweight start since 2011 in a matchup against Li Jingliang. With both fighters pushing the limits on their respective trips to the scale, that fight was made official.

However, given Chimaev’s weight-cutting blunder, the promotion chose to rearrange three main fights on the card: UFC president Dana White confirmed during an interview with ESPN SportsCenter how Diaz would now headline at welterweight against Ferguson, while Chimaev would be placed in a catchweight fight against Kevin Holland.

Riverside striker Holland first faced fellow California striker Daniel Rodriguez, however the latter will now share the octagon with Jingliang in another massive and significant shakeup, in what will be one of the most eventful days and chaotic in the recent history of the promotion.

Senior Writer for FightBook MMA. An aspiring mixed martial arts reporter based in Ireland. Producer of news articles, interviews, opinion pieces and exclusive features such as ‘The Fallout’, ‘The Breakdown’ and ‘This Week In MMA’.

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