In a dramatic turn of events, Nate Diaz will now fight Tony Ferguson at UFC 279 after Khamzat Chimaev dramatically missed weight.
Diaz was scheduled to meet soaring contender Chimaev in the last bout on his UFC contract, but the matchup was axed after Chimaev missed weight by 7.5lb and Diaz refused to accept a catchweight fight. Whilst Diaz successfully weighed in at 171lb, reports circulated that Chimaev was having trouble making the welterweight limit and they proved true when the Chechen stepped on the scale at 178.5lb.
In the co-main event of UFC 279, Ferguson was scheduled to face Li Jingliang with both fighters weighing in at 171lb for their fight. The UFC pulled Ferguson from his fight with Jingliang to face Diaz in the main event and Jingliang will now face Daniel Rodriguez, who was moved from his catchweight fight with Kevin Holland. Chimaev has now been booked to fight Holland in the co-main event.
So here's all you need to know ahead of Diaz's short-notice fight against Ferguson...
What time does Nate Diaz vs Tony Ferguson start?
The UFC 279 preliminary fights begin around 11pm on Saturday night, with the main card getting underway at 3am on Sunday morning. Diaz and Ferguson are expected to walk to the octagon at around 4:45am with the bout set to take place at around 5am, but this could be later depending on the duration of the other main card fighters.
How to watch via TV and live stream
Diaz's short-notice clash with Ferguson will be shown exclusively on BT Sport 1. BT customers can watch the fights as part of their monthly subscription at no extra cost. It will also live streamed on BT Sport’s website and app, so is available to watch via mobile, laptop or tablet devices.
Full fight card
Main card
Nate Diaz vs Tony Ferguson
Khamzat Chimaev vs Li Jingliang
Kevin Holland vs Daniel Rodriguez
Irene Aldana vs Macy Chiasson
Johnny Walker vs Ion Cutelaba
Prelims
Hakeem Dawodu vs Julian Erosa
Jailton Almeida vs Anton Turkalj
Denis Tiuliulin vs Jamie Pickett
Jake Collier vs Chris Barnett
Early Prelims
Norma Dumont vs Danyelle Wolf
Chad Anheliger vs Alatengheili
Melissa Martinez vs Elise Reed
Darian Weeks vs Yohan Lainesse
Odds
Nate Diaz - 10/13
Tony Ferguson - 10/13
Quotes corner
Nate Diaz
Tony Ferguson
Khamzat Chimaev
Kevin Holland