Dana Whiteshuffles UFC 279deck: Nate DiazTony Ferguson
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LAS VEGAS -- The UFC has completely shuffled the top three fights on its UFC 279 card one day before the scheduled pay-per-view event, UFC president Dana White told SportsCenter in a live Instagram video Friday.
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Main event of the Saturday show at T-Mobile Arena. Diaz's original opponent, Khamzat Chimaev, missed weight by 7.5 pounds Friday morning, coming in at 178.5 pounds for a 171-pound-limit bout.
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White said Chimaev started cramping and locking up during his weight cut.
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"It's going to happen now before Nate leaves the UFC. It couldn't have played out any better."
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Li, who weighed 170.5 pounds Friday, will now fight Rodriguez. There will be a large weight gap, as Rodriguez came in at 179 pounds.
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Chimaev, 28, is one of the UFC's biggest rising stars and was a -1000 favorite over Diaz, per Caesars Sportsbook.
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Diaz is on the final fight of his UFC contract and has indicated this will be his last bout with the promotion, at least for now.
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When Chimaev weighed in Friday morning, he shrugged his shoulders and showed no contrition for the massive miss.