Nate Diaz has claimed he will now only fight Khamzat Chimaev backstage after his rival missed weight.
Diaz was set to face the Chechen star as the final outing on his expiring UFC contract at UFC 279 tonight set for the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Concerns had been expressed that Chimaev was significantly off making the 171lb limit for the fight, which proved true when he tipped the scales at 178.5lb.
The card has now been rearranged by UFC kingpin Dana White who has organised a fight for Diaz with late-replacement Tony Ferguson, while Chimaev will instead take on Kevin Holland in the co-main event. Diaz has admitted he had prepared to take on anybody but was irritated by the late change to his opposition.
