There was little chance that the UFC 279 post-fight press conference would be as chaotic as it’s pre-fight counterpart.
Still, it might be worthwhile to tune in and check out, just in case, right?
That pre-fight presser had been cancelled after Khamzat Chimaev got into confrontations with Kevin Holland and Nate Diaz (plus entourage) backstage. For the first time in UFC history, a press conference was cancelled while it was already underway; only Kevin Holland and Daniel Rodriguez had the chance to speak, while Li Jingliang was unceremoniously ushered off stage despite being decked out in a sharp new suit he clearly wanted to show off.
Even that chaos paled in comparison to what happened at Friday’s weigh-ins, with multiple fighters missing weight, including Chiamev — who scuttled his main event with Diaz. Incredibly, things worked out for the better, with Tony Ferguson, Jingliang’s opponent, bumped up to the Diaz fight. Chiamaev was booked opposite Holland, who had been fighting at a 180lb catchweight anyway. Holland’s opponent, Rodriguez, was paired up with Jingliang, and somehow the card wound up more competitive.
Who would still be standing when the smoke cleared? Tune in following UFC 279 on Saturday, September 10, 2022 to find out. The post-fight press conference live stream can be found above.
