5 UFC main events that were canceled on very late notice feat. Khamzat Chimaev vs. Nate Diaz
It's not uncommon in the UFC for events to suffer late notice changes. Even headline bouts aren't immune to this, with numerous main events falling apart in the weeks leading up to events.
On occasion, though, the UFC has seen a headline bout fall apart on incredibly late notice, even on the night of the event itself. Sometimes in these instances, the promotion was able to salvage the event with a different headliner, but on other occasions, the event became infamous instead.
Here are five UFC main events that were canceled on very late notice.
#5. Erin Blanchfield vs. Maycee Barber - UFC on ESPN 68
The latest entry to this list saw this past weekend's headliner fall apart, as the UFC was left without a main event literally moments before it was due to begin. There were already red flags around the women's flyweight clash between top contenders Erin Blanchfield and Maycee Barber at the weigh-ins.
Barber was unable to make the 125-pound flyweight limit, instead coming in at 126.5 pounds. Moreover, she looked physically awful, drained of any kind of energy. Still, it looked like she would be able to compete the next night.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. While the promotion ran a pre-fight promo video, Barber took ill backstage, and the fight was abruptly canceled with no notice whatsoever.
It was later reported that Barber suffered a seizure, although this has yet to be fully confirmed. 'The Future' has since taken to Instagram, suggesting she was hospitalised, but little more is known at this stage.
Blanchfield, for her part, was furious about the cancellation, labelling her opponent a "mess", suggesting that she suspected Barber's weight miss to be a factor.
Either way, this cancellation was shocking to both the fans and the promotion, and the only positive was the fact that the show was taking place at the Las Vegas APEX and not in front of a full live crowd.
#4. Kevin Randleman vs. Pedro Rizzo - UFC 24
This weekend's fight between Erin Blanchfield and Maycee Barber was not the first UFC headliner to be canceled just moments before it was due to take place. The first instance of such an unfortunate cancellation came back in 2000, during the peak of the promotion's so-called 'Dark Ages'.
The UFC visited Lake Charles, Missouri, for an event that was supposed to be headlined by a heavyweight title fight pitting champ Kevin Randleman against challenger Pedro Rizzo.
Bizarrely, though, Randleman managed to slip on some metal pipes backstage while warming up, causing him to fall and hit his head on the concrete floor.
'The Monster' was knocked out and had to be taken to a local hospital, where he was diagnosed with a concussion.
The fight was immediately canceled, although the fans in attendance were not notified until the end of the show. It was another blow for a promotion that, at the time, was running on fumes.
Remarkably, those fans arguably had a lucky escape, though. The fight was rescheduled for a later date and would end up being remembered as one of the most dull MMA bouts of all time.
#3. TJ Dillashaw vs. Renan Barao - UFC 177
Botched weight cuts can often be to blame for late-notice fight cancellations, and that was the case when UFC 177 lost its headliner with less than a day to go.
The event, scheduled for Sacramento, California, in August 2014, was already considered "cursed" thanks to several fight cancellations leading up. Still, it looked like the headliner pitting bantamweight champ TJ Dillashaw against former titleholder Renan Barao would at least remain intact.
Unfortunately, that didn't turn out to be the case. Barao, who was already renowned for being a bit weight cutter, was struggling to reach the allotted 135-pound bantamweight limit.
Attempting to use a bath to dehydrate himself, 'The Baron' fainted, hit his head, and was knocked out. After attending a hospital, he was immediately pulled from the event.
Dillashaw ended up retaining his spot on the card, albeit against debutant Joe Soto rather than Barao in a fight thrown together at the last second.
Although nobody knew it at the time, this incident marked the beginning of the end for the Brazilian, who won just two of his next nine fights before being released in 2019.
#2. Derrick Lewis vs. Sergei Spivac - UFC Fight Night 215
While fans were given a little more notice than they had this weekend, the cancellation of a headliner between Derrick Lewis and Sergei Spivac in 2022 still took fans by surprise.
The big heavyweights were all set to headline a UFC Fight Night event at the Las Vegas APEX, and being heavyweights, both men weighed in with no problems.
However, when the broadcast for the event began, fans were informed that Lewis vs. Spivac had been scrapped. The reports at the time claimed Lewis had a "non-COVID illness" not linked to a weight cut and was unable to compete.
The show instead went ahead with a headliner of Ion Cutelaba vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu, a fight plucked from the undercard.
Lewis and Spivac would see their fight rebooked for the early part of 2023, and weirdly enough, 'The Black Beast' later confirmed that COVID-19 was to blame for his withdrawal.
According to Lewis, he didn't realise he had the virus until a day or two later, when he tested positive. Either way, this was the most abrupt cancellation since UFC 24, more than two decades later - until this weekend.
#1. Khamzat Chimaev vs. Nate Diaz - UFC 279
The only instance in UFC history of a headline bout being canceled but both fighters competing on the card anyway took place in September 2022.
UFC 279 was all set to be headlined by a welterweight bout pitting Khamzat Chimaev against Nate Diaz. The booking was always a little odd, as it saw a red-hot prospect in Chimaev facing a fighter seemingly past his prime in Diaz.
Many fans saw the bout as the promotion's way of ensuring Diaz would end his contract on the back of a defeat, likely a painful one.
However, when it came to the weigh-ins, it was Chimaev who found himself in trouble. 'Borz' came in at 178.5 pounds, a whopping 7.5 pounds over the welterweight limit, even considering the one pound buffer.
With Chimaev set to be so much larger in the octagon, Diaz quite fairly refused to face him, leaving Dana White and company in a serious bind.
After hours of negotiating, in the end, the promotion found a solution. Switching up three fights on the card, Diaz instead headlined against Tony Ferguson in a welterweight bout.
Chimaev, meanwhile, fought Kevin Holland at a 180-pound catchweight, while Holland and Ferguson's planned opponents Li Jingliang and Daniel Rodriguez faced each other.
It was a pretty remarkable turn of events, and a testament to the UFC's ability to rescue a show on very late notice.