McGregor echoed his frustration with Tsimaev’s behavior on the scales at the official weigh-ins, where he missed 7.5kg for a now-cancelled fight with Nate Diaz, and said if the UFC ran the 28-year-old star would not fight on Saturday night. “My opinion is they should have pulled the hamzat [sic] off the card entirely,” McGregor tweeted. “Reshaping the periods, and with a more favorable battle for the failed cutter, will cause many others in the game to follow suit. “The smiles on the scale where [sic] enough for me. Draw from the card and starve. McG UFC.” My opinion is they should have taken the hamzat off the card completely. Reshaping the periods, and with a more favorable period for the failed cutter, will cause many others in the game to follow suit. The smiles on the scales were enough for me. Draw from the card and starve. McG UFC. — Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) September 10, 2022 Chimaev’s weight loss was the catalyst for a huge upset at the top of Saturday’s pay-per-view event at T-Mobile Arena. She now faces Kevin Holland, who she reportedly fought backstage before the event’s press conference, while Diaz faces Tony Ferguson. As a result of the reshuffle, Ferguson’s original opponent Li Jingliang now faces Daniel Rodriguez, who was originally scheduled to meet Holland in a 180-pound catchweight bout. Jingliang leaves a significant size disadvantage to Rodriguez after cutting down to 170.5 pounds, while Rodriguez came in at 179. Chimaev blamed his weight loss on the decision of a UFC-appointed doctor who decided he couldn’t lose any more bulk. UFC president Dana White said the Chechen fighter complained of cramps and other ailments related to the weight loss before the doctor’s evaluation. When he took the stage for the ceremonial weigh-ins for UFC 279, Chimaev was booed by the crowd. For Diaz, the fight with Chimaev is the final obligation of his current UFC contract after a long and drama-filled career. When he took the stage, he sent the audience into a frenzy, blasting Chimaev. McGregor praised Diaz, his two-time opponent, for the undoubtedly favorable turn of events. He also welcomed a trilogy with the Stockton, California star after their successful meetings at UFC 196 and UFC 202. “Congratulations to Nate Diaz on fulfilling his contractual obligations with the UFC and as a bona fide superstar player,” he wrote. “Incredible feat. Fair play. “Our trilogy will be done.” Congratulations to Nate Diaz for fulfilling his contractual obligations with the UFC and being a bona fide superstar player. An incredible feat. Fair play. Our trilogy will be done. — Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) September 10, 2022 Prior to a fight with Chimaev, Diaz believed the UFC wanted to keep him under contract for the trilogy with McGregor. Unfortunately, he said he didn’t want to wait for the former two-division champion to rebuild himself after back-to-back losses and tried to get out of the contract.
