5 UFC fighters who stepped in at the last minute and stole the show
Former UFC lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos was seen in Las Vegas at the fighter hotel while cutting weight, as reported by MMA journalist Damon Martin.
The sight of Dos Anjos just a few days before UFC 264 sparked rumors that he may be there to replace either Dustin Poirier or Conor McGregor in the main event. Later on, Conor McGregor partly confirmed that he might not be getting replaced by making this tweet.
In another potential setback to the main card of UFC 264, Sean O'Malley's opponent, Louis Smolka, was replaced by non-UFC fighter Kris Moutinho last week.
Smolka had to pull out of the fight due to a staph infection. Since nobody on the UFC's bantamweight roster was willing to take the fight at such short notice, Kris Moutinho, who is on a professional four-fight win-streak, was made Smolka's replacement.
That brings us to the question of whether last-minute replacement fighters are a good idea to save an event. Some fighters in the UFC's past have proven to be great replacement fighters.
Here are five such fighters who stepped in at the last minute and stole the show:
#5 Paul Felder at UFC Fight Night 182
'The Irish Dragon' was Islam Makhachev's replacement in the fight against Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC Fight Night 182. Makhachev had to pull out from the fight due to a staph infection.
While the event was set to take place on 14 November 2020, Makhachev pulled out of the fight on November 8. Paul Felder stepped into his shoes the very next day, taking the fight on a five-day notice.
Felder not only managed to cut weight in time, but also managed to dish out a performance that earned him the FIght of The Night award against Dos Anjos.
Unfortunately for Paul Felder, the fight went to the judges' scorecards, and the result was a victory for his Brazilianopponent.