After a torrid weight loss by Khamzat Chimaev that saw the welterweight contender come out 7.5 pounds heavy on Friday, Chimaev is out of the scheduled bout with Diaz that was set to take place on Saturday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Ferguson comes in as Tsimaev’s replacement and the fight will continue as a five-round contest. The bout was officially announced by UFC President Dana White on Sportscenter via Instagram Live, following an initial report by BJPenn.com. Chimaev, who officially weighed in at 178.5 pounds, now fights Kevin Holland in a 180-pound catchweight bout in the co-main event, which will also go over five rounds. Holland weighed in at 179.5kg for a scheduled catchweight bout with Daniel Rodriguez. With these changes, Rodriguez now fights Li Jingliang in another 180-pound catchweight bout, a somewhat awkward situation considering Rodriguez weighed in at 179 pounds on Friday while Li came in at 170.5. Lee was originally scheduled to fight Ferguson at welterweight in the co-main event. The former interim lightweight champion successfully weighed in at 171 pounds for his return to welterweight. Diaz also weighed 171 pounds. Diaz and Ferguson are both seeking their first win since 2019. In his most recent outing, Diaz lost a unanimous decision to Leon Edwards at UFC 263, while Ferguson is coming off a knockout loss of the year to Michael Chandler at UFC 274. The changes to the main event and main card come a day after Diaz, Chimaev and others were involved in a backstage melee that led to the cancellation of a scheduled UFC 279 press conference.
