The main event for Saturday’s UFC 279 is in jeopardy after Khamzat Chimaev failed to make weight ahead of his anticipated clash with Nate Diaz.
The undefeated welterweight stepped on the scale for official weigh-ins Friday and weighed in at 178.5 pounds, 8.5 pounds over the contracted weight of 170 pounds. The announcement came only moments after the 37-year-old Diaz weighed in at 171 pounds, the maximum limit for both fighters given the extra pound UFC allows for non-title fights.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding his status going into the bout, Chimaev, 28, appeared to not be too concerned about tipping the scale, as evidenced by the shrug he gave to reporters before smirking and saying, “That’s not bad.”
Scheduled to compete in his first five-round bout, Chimaev (11–0, 5–0 UFC) is now facing the possibility of missing out on the chance to fight Diaz (21–13, 15–11 UFC) in what would also be the rising star’s first-ever UFC headliner. Barring a change in Chimaev’s status, UFC is reportedly already preparing a backup plan and “working to finalize it, though it involves multiple parties agreeing to a change in circumstances,” according to a report from MMA Junkie.
UFC 279 is scheduled to take place Sept. 10 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with the main card streaming live on ESPN+ pay-per-view beginning at 10 p.m. ET.
