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Khamzat Chimaev has missed weight for his UFC 279 welterweight clash with Nate Diaz, and Dustin Poirier’s name has been floated out as a potential replacement.
Chimaev weighed in at 178.5 pounds on Friday, seven-and-a-half pounds overweight, and at the time of this writing, his main event battle with Diaz appears to be derailed. And Diaz’s longtime rival Poirier took to Twitter to hint that he’d be down to come to Las Vegas and fight on short notice.
Diaz weighed in successfully for the Chimaev fight, hitting the scale at 171 pounds. “The Diamond” shared a photo of himself standing on a scale that read 176.6 pounds. See below:
A fan asked Poirier via Twitter if he could “make 170,” and Poirier replied: “Yes.”
He then retweeted a photo shared by former fighter-turned-analyst Alan Jouban. It’s a picture of the two, and Jouban tweeted: “I know a guy! Private (airplane).” See below:
“Just trained with @DustinPoirier,” Jouban also tweeted, which Poirier retweeted. “He’s on weight and down to work with the @ufc. Even has wheels (airplane emoji) on stand by. I say give the man a chance! #UFC279.”
Poirier’s American Top Team coach Mike Brown also chimed in on the platform, writing: “Kickin it in Louisiana with DP and co. – waiting on that phone call from Vegas – #UFC279 #PoiriervsDiaz #anytimeanywhere @DustinPoirier @EricScallan.”
Later in the day, “The MMA Hour” host Ariel Helwani tweeted that he spoke with Poirier, who told the journalist that he had received a call from the UFC about the potential fight. And according to “The Diamond” he was prepared to hop on a flight to Vegas.
“Dustin Poirier tells me he was called to step in and accepted,” Helwani tweeted. “Weighs around 176. Had a pilot and jet on standby. Nothing moved though. Seems like, at least for now, they want Diaz x (Tony) Ferguson..”
One media member who showed interest in this was MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck: “I gotta say, this would be the icing on the cake if a last minute audible was called for this. Keeps the other fighters who made weight on the card competing.”
Poirier & Michael Chandler Are Linked to a 3-Round Lightweight Clash at Madison Square Garden
On Wednesday, ESPN’s Brett Okamoto reported that the UFC was finalizing a bout between Poirier and Michael Chandler for UFC 281 on November 12.
“It’s official,” Okamoto tweeted. “Dustin Poirier (@DustinPoirier) vs. Michael Chandler (@MikeChandlerMMA) at MSG in November, per UFC Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell. Three rounds. In addition to agreeing to the fight this week, Chandler has also signed a new multi-fight deal.”
Source Tells Reporter That Diaz Won’t Fight Chimaev at UFC 279, Speaking to UFC About Potential Replacement & Is Eyeing Tony Ferguson
MMA journalist Cole Shelton spoke with a source from Diaz’s camp after Chimaev missed weight, and he confirmed that Diaz was speaking with the UFC about a potential replacement opponent. Shelton also tweeted that Diaz wouldn’t fight Chimaev at the T-Mobile Arena.
“Another source inside Diaz’s camp has told me the ‘Khamzat fight is officially OFF,’ Shelton wrote. “They add Diaz and the UFC are currently negotiating to fight a new unnamed opponent, with (Tony) Ferguson likely the lead front runner for that. But there’s a chance he doesn’t fight at all. #UFC279.”
According to Shelton, Diaz wanted to fight Ferguson, who weighed in at 171 pounds for his bout with Li Jingliang in the night’s co-main event.
“They (Diaz’s team) believe Chimaev didn’t even try to make the weight and is basically cheating,” he wrote. “The consensus around Diaz’s team is he’s either going to fight Tony Ferguson or not fight at all.”
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