The UFC 279 pre-fight press conference was canceled following backstage altercations between multiple parties.
UFC president Dana White took the stage at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Thursday and relayed the unfortunate news that due to events unfolding behind the curtain, the press conference would not proceed due to the interest of safety for everyone involved.
“All hell broke loose,” White said after canceling the event.
Among the parties involved in the backstage events were UFC fighters Khamzat Chimaev and Kevin Holland, who at the time, were not scheduled to fight each other at the pay-per-view event. The promotion has released footage of Chimaev throwing a kick at Holland before security ensured they would not get close to each other as they yelled expletives.
Headliner Nate Diaz was also involved, and can be seen throwing an object at someone.
Check out video of the altercation below (via Twitter):
The tension is in the air tonight!
Here is your cold open to set the stage for #UFC279 👀 pic.twitter.com/JSaFpxZ5WB
— UFC (@ufc) September 10, 2022
Following Chimaev’s weight miss on the scale Friday morning, the promotion scrambled to shuffle the top three bouts on the UFC 279 main card, now pitting Chimaev against Holland in the co-main event. Chimaev was originally scheduled to compete in the main event against Diaz, and Holland was to face Daniel Rodriguez. The new matchups will now see Diaz face Tony Ferguson, and Rodriguez against Li Jingliang.
UFC 279 takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNEWS and early prelims on ESPN+.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 279.
