Featured Image Credit: Alamy/UFC
Topics: UFC, MMA, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Khamzat Chimaev
Ryan Sidle
Topics: UFC, MMA, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Khamzat Chimaev
Conor McGregor has claimed that Khamzat Chimaev's fight against Kevin Holland should not go ahead at UFC 279, after Chimaev missed weight.
Chimaev was due to fight Nate Diaz on Saturday night, in Las Vegas, in what is the Stockton brawler's final fight on his contract with the promotion.
However, on Friday evening, the Swedish fighter weighed in well over the 170 lbs limit for welterweights, which Dana White later revealed was due to doctor's orders.
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White did a hell of a juggling act with his main event in tatters, moving Tony Ferguson from his fight into the matchup with Diaz, which makes for a tasty pairing.
Chimaev will now face Holland, with the man he was supposed to face, Daniel Rodriguez, taking on Li Jingliang, who would have been facing Ferguson.
However, despite that meaning no one misses out on a pay day, McGregor isn't happy with the decision and believed that fighters who miss weight shouldn't be allowed another fight.
The Irishman thinks that Chimaev getting an 'easier' fight will lead to others doing the same when it comes to weight cutting, if they know it can get them a new opponent.
"My opinion they should have pulled khamzat from the card entirely," the former two weight UFC champion said on social media.
"Reconfiguring bouts, and with a more favorable bout for the failed cutter, will only make many others in the game follow suit.
"The smirks on the scale where enough for me.
"Pull from the card and starve."
Whilst McGregor may have some point about someone who missed weight not being 'punished,' it surely makes sense for fans and other fighters for things to be sorted.
All the fighters will now get paid on the card, in a promotion whose pay has previously been criticised, especially during White's arguments with Jake Paul.
The 34-year-old fighter hasn't stepped inside the octagon since losing to Dustin Poirier for the second time, back in July 2021, after breaking his tibia at the end of the first round.
He has been rumoured to be returning several times but so far it's yet to come to fruition, as he continues make his way back to full fitness.
Most recently, the Irishman has been feuding with famous small man Hasbullah on social media, because that's probably the level of opponent he's at now.
The Russian has begged the UFC to let him face his new rival, since McGregor posted a brutal meme.