English UFC heavyweight contender Tom Aspinall said he'd love to see a couple of huge box-office bouts for Conor McGregor when the Irishman returns to the cage, but is unsure whether they'll come to fruition.
Recap the immediate reactions of the stars of UFC 279 as they chatted with Joe Rogan inside the octagon after their respective bouts at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas.
Nate Diaz made his thoughts, and his intentions, clear as he chatted with Joe Rogan following his fourth-round submission of Tony Ferguson at UFC 279.
UFC fan-favourite Nate Diaz brought the curtain down on his UFC career, for now, with a fourth-round submission of former interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson at UFC 279.
An altercation between Khamzat Chimaev and Kevin Holland occurs backstage resulting in Dana cutting the UFC 279 Pre Fight Press Conference short. Kevin Holland, Tony Ferguson, Nate Diaz make weight but Khamzat Chimaev does not. Dana White announces a new fight card. The new matchups of UFC 279 face off: Nate Diaz vs Tony Ferguson, Khamzat Chimaev vs Kevin Holland, and Li Jingliang vs Daniel Rodriguez.
After a turbulent two days in Las Vegas that saw a wild melee backstage at the pre-fight press conference on Thursday, and multiple fighters miss weight on Friday, the UFC has called an audible on its fight card to keep the event intact.
Drama reigned at the official early morning weigh-ins for UFC 279 as headliner Khamzat Chimaev missed weight by a colossal seven and a half pounds for his welterweight main event bout with Nate Diaz.
Fight week skirmishes between fighters are nothing new to the UFC, but even the famously well-drilled UFC staff were caught out when, in the moments in the immediate lead-up to the UFC 279 pre-fight press conference, all hell broke loose backstage.
Darren Till arrives to train with Khamzat Chimaev. Tony Ferguson feels out the Octagon. Daniel Rodriguez and Kevin Holland preview their bout. UFC 279 stars open up at media day. Nate Diaz flexes for the camera.
Li Jingliang trains in quiet, then shops for suits. Tony Ferguson mixes it up in the PI. Khamzat Chimaev signs posters, Johnny Walker goes for speed. Macy Chiasson and Kevin Holland land in Las Vegas.