Nate Diaz vs. Tony Ferguson Headlines Revised UFC 279 Card After Weigh-In Drama

Nate Diaz will now face off against Tony Ferguson in the UFC 279 main event after his previously scheduled opponent, Khamzat Chimaev, missed weight by seven-and-a-half pounds Friday morning.

That has led to a full shakeup of the UFC 279 main card. Ferguson was scheduled to fight on the main card against Li Jingliang, but the latter fighter will now face off against Daniel Rodriguez. Kevin Holland was originally scheduled to face Daniel Rodriguez

Dana White made the announcement on SportsCenter's Instagram page, per ESPN's Marc Raimondi.

Diaz and Chimaev were supposed to headline UFC 279 at Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena with a welterweight bout Saturday. Diaz weighed in at 171 pounds, but Chimaev dropped in at 178.5 pounds.

The rest of the main card includes bouts featuring Irene Aldana and Macy Chiasson and Johnny Walker and Ion Cuțelaba.

Diaz has just one fight left on his UFC contract before he breaks free from the promotion. The 37-year-old sports a lifetime professional record of 20-13. His career includes wins over Conor McGregor, Anthony Pettis, Jim Miller and Donald Cerrone.

The eight-time Fight of the Night winner's last match occurred in June 2021, when he lost via unanimous decision to the current UFC welterweight champion, Leon Edwards.

Ferguson, 38, is the former UFC interim lightweight champion. He's gone 25-7 in his career, including a stretch where he won 18 of 19 matches and 12 in a row.

Ferguson has lost his last four matches, with his most recent fight ending in a second-round knockout against Michael Chandler at UFC 274 in May.