UFC 279 is turning into a nightmare. First of all, the press conference had to be suspended due to incidents in the dressing rooms, then, the weigh-in ceremony was a disaster as multiple fighters failed to make weight, and finally, the main fight between Khamzat Chimaev and Nate Diaz is in danger of not taking place.
It all started with the weigh-in session, where a total of 9 fighters failed to make weight. While 3 fights were modified to the agreed weight, three other fighters failed to make weight and had to suffer a 30% cut in their purse payout.
But obviously the most serious was that Khamzat Chimaev, the star of the main event, did not make weight. Nate Diaz weighed in at 171 pounds, then Chimaev came up and weighed in at 178.5 pounds, 7.5 over the limit.
Being a notable difference in relation to the weight, the first point is that the Nevada Athletic Commission authorizes the fight. If that happens, the final decision will be in the hands of Nate Diaz, who, if he accepts the fight, will be compensated 30% of Chimaev’s purse.
In case the fight is not authorized or Nate Diaz does not accept to fight against Chimaev UFC will activate a plan B, and although there are several rumors, the truth is that no one knows who could be the possible opponent for Nate, although it should be noted that only Nate Diaz can star in the main event of UFC 279 because there is a contract between UFC and Disney (owners of ESPN) where in the numbered events there must be a title at stake or only some names are part of the main event (including Nate Diaz, Conor McGregor, and Jorge Masvidal).
Stellar Billboard
Khamzat Chimaev (178.5)* vs. Nate Diaz (171)
Tony Ferguson (171) vs. Li Jingliang (170.5)
Kevin Holland (179.5) vs. Daniel Rodriguez (179) – agreed on a weight of 180 pounds
Irene Aldana (137.5) vs. Macy Chiasson (139.5) – agreed on a weight of 140 pounds
Ion Cutelaba (205.5) vs. Johnny Walker (205)
Preliminary Billboard
Hakeem Dawodu (149.5)** vs. Julian Erosa (146)
Jailton Almeida (216.5) vs. Anton Turkalj (214) – agreed on weight of 220 pounds
Jamie Pickett (185.5) vs. Denis Tiuliulin (186)
Chris Barnett (267.5)*** vs. Jake Collier (265)
Fight Pass Billboard
Norma Dumont (146) vs. Danyelle Wolf (146)
Heili Alateng (135) vs. Chad Anheliger (135.5)
Melissa Martinez (113.5) vs. Elise Reed (115.5)
Yohan Lainesse (171) vs. Darian Weeks (170.5)
* Chimaev loses welterweight by 7.5 pounds
* Dawodu loses featherweight by 3.5 pounds
* Barnett loses heavyweight by 1.5 pounds
