"This was a ploy to switch the matchups" - Fans furious for UFC 279 presser cancelation after more underwhelming footage of backstage brawl surfaces
Fans are unimpressed with the new footage of the UFC 279 backstage crawl that has come to light.
On his YouTube channel, Nate Diaz uploaded the second episode of his 'UFC 279: Road 2 War' series. During the video, footage of the backstage altercation before the press conference can be seen, where some members of Diaz's team were throwing water bottles.
Watch a clip from the video below:
The backstage brawl involving Diaz, Khamzat Chimaev, and Kevin Holland led to the cancelation of the UFC 279 pre-fight press conference.
(via @UFC)Footage of the altercations that ensued behind the scenes before the #UFC279 press conference 🚨 (via @UFC) https://t.co/kTNF1XiyMK
Fans were intrigued to learn what really transpired behind the scenes, but the footage that came to light was underwhelming. The additional footage from Diaz's YouTube channel did not help much as fans took to the Instagram comments section to share their disappointment.
One person called the brawl a ploy to re-arrange the matchups on the fight card.
"I KNEW IT THIS WAS A PLOY TO SWITCH THE MATCHUPS"
People also accused Dana White and the UFC of blowing things out of proportion. Some users alleged that the entire incident was scripted to promote the event.
Some took White's side and argued that even though the situation did not seem really bad in the footage, it could have gotten worse if the fighters had gone to the press conference.
Dana White responded to critics who claimed that the UFC 279 debacle was scripted
After the backstage altercation, things took a new turn during UFC 279 fight week. Khamzat Chimaev missed weight by a huge margin and jeopardized the main event.
UFC officials then shuffled around and came up with three new matchups - Nate Diaz vs. Tony Ferguson (main event), Khamzat Chimaev vs. Kevin Holland (co-main event), and Li Jingliang vs. Daniel Rodriguez.
This made some people suspicious as to whether the entire UFC 279 fiasco was scripted by the UFC. At a recent DWCS press conference, Dana White dismissed the conspiracy story and criticized Pat Miletich, whom he believed was the author of the rumor:
"Like Pat Miletich was saying, we told Khamzat not to make weight because we weren't selling tickets. The f***ing show was sold out going into that day of the weigh-ins. I don't know if Pat really said that, but if he did, he has to be the dumbest m*therf***** on the planet.
I mean, you know how stupid you have to be to even think something like that, let alone say it publicly and act like you're serious... If Pat really said that, holy s**t! We might well have to send him out to the brain clinic to get him f***ing checked out."
Later in the press conference, White was told that Brendan Schaub had echoed similar thoughts. White then apologized to Miletich and took a jibe at the former UFC heavyweight, saying it made sense coming from him.
Watch the press conference below: