Asshole Watch: Who was (and was not) the asshole at UFC 279?

Any time a UFC pay-per-view gets that messed up, it means some person or persons is probably to blame...

It’s a reminder of just how bizarrely unique MMA is that an event like UFC 279 can get so profoundly messed up, so thoroughly altered from its original state, and yet the end result is that it somehow becomes more and not less interesting to us. It might also be a reminder why it’s a bad idea for the promoter to so obviously pursue an agenda – setting up one fighter to lose and another win, which, let’s be honest, is exactly what the original plan for the main event was – because it invites the savvy viewer to assess whether or not that agenda worked out. (Nope, sure didn’t.)

But UFC 279 was a special sort of mess, which means someone must have fucked up somewhere. Let’s look through the list of suspects and see who seems like the likeliest of assholes.

Nate Diaz

He agreed to the UFC’s preferred squash match just to finally be done with his current contract, leaving him free to wade into the uncertain waters of free agency. Then the proposed squasher came in way overweight, at which point the intended squashee took the opportunity to fight a more age-appropriate opponent in Tony Ferguson. Did Diaz look great in the fight? Nah, not really. But he was good enough to end it flexing for the cameras with one arm and holding onto a submission with the other. Now instead of leaving the UFC on the heels of a bad beatdown, he leaves on a win, albeit one that showed why it was damn near criminal to match him up with Khamzat Chimaev in the first place.

Verdict: Lucky, but not an asshole.

Tony Ferguson

The swap of opponents was probably a good thing for him too, though being elevated to the main event meant he was suddenly on the hook for two extra rounds, and he may not have been in ideal shape for that. Ferguson also didn’t look great in the fight. (When your coaches keep yelling at you to stop turning your back, and you keep turning your back anyway? Yeah, not a good sign.) The submission loss to Diaz means he’s now sitting on five straight defeats, which is damn near Sam Alvey territory, but on the plus side he is still taking credit for the very existence of live sports in America, all because he fought Justin Gaethje in the first event of our first pandemic spring. Say thank you.

Verdict: As much a weirdo as ever, and oddly confrontational at times, but not really an asshole.

Khamzat Chimaev

His massive weigh-in miss was the first domino to fall here, necessitating all the other changes and throwing this event into an entertaining sort of chaos. Usually, a fighter in that situation might apologize for completely fucking up that part of his job. Chimaev chose to go the other way, showing zero remorse and acting like everyone else was a jerk for continuing to ask him about it. He was also the common denominator in reports about the backstage fracas that brought the pre-fight press conference to a premature end, but somehow he managed to suffer the fewest official consequences somehow. UFC boss Dana White didn’t bury him to the media, the way he usually would in this situation. The commission didn’t even fine him, because his new bout took place in a higher weight class. Plus he got to fight an opponent who’s known for his lack of ground game, and who was preparing for a totally different kind of fight. The UFC and the commission may have let Chimaev off the hook, but fans sure didn’t. The boos rained down before and after. And with the way he carried it? That’s probably going to keep happening for a while.

Verdict: Definitely the asshole, and not the least bit sorry about it.

Kevin Holland

He strongly suggested that he got a big pay bump for agreeing to this fight, though Dana White later denied anybody’s money had changed during the reshuffle. We all knew this was a bad matchup. Can’t say I expected it to be so lopsided he’d fail to land or even really attempt a single strike, but clearly he was a convenient lamb to the slaughter here. A loss like that obviously doesn’t help Holland any, but come on, were any of us expecting him to make a run at the UFC middleweight title any time son? His appeal is that he’s a fun guy to have around and also an occasional superhero out in the streets. He was never the guy who was going to win them all.

Verdict: Not an asshole, but might want to put some of that extra money in savings.

Li Jingliang

First he didn’t get to wear his killer suit at the press conference all because other people couldn’t act right backstage. Then, when the UFC started mixing and matching opponents, he was the one guy who had to give up a significant weight advantage in his new fight, and the profile of the fight was also significantly lower than before. As if that wasn’t bad enough, he then lost a decision that he maybe deserved to win, and somehow seemed to get the least gratitude of anybody, even though he arguably got the worst deal of all for some shit that was in no way his fault.

Verdict: In the ranking of people who are not the asshole, “The Leech” is at the very top. The most not the asshole person who exists in this situation.

Daniel Rodriguez

Yes, he was also there. People are always going to give you some shit for winning a fight that they thought the other guy should have won, but it’s not like that’s his fault.

Verdict: Inoffensive and a little too forgettable, but not an asshole.

Chris Barnett

Basically just the most delightful man alive. And come on, if there’s one guy who ought to be allowed and maybe even encouraged to miss weight, it’s the 5’9 heavyweight with the amazing dance moves.

Verdict: Of course he’s not an asshole, why would you even suggest that?

Johnny Walker

After spending fight week telling us about how an allergic reaction to THC had given him a brief bout of schizophrenia (not sure that’s how that works, but OK), he got a much-needed win and then somehow ended up walking around on the Vegas Strip barefoot with his gloves and fight shorts still on.

Verdict: Definitely a weirdsmobile, but not an asshole.

Dana White

Kind of seemed like he was lying about not giving anyone any extra money to accept a change of opponent, didn’t it? Also seemed like he was lying about having no choice but to switch up the fights because there was no way the commission would have approved the 7.5-pound difference between Diaz and Chimaev, even though the same commission did approve the 8.5-pound difference between Rodriguez and Jingliang. Also? He talks mighty nice about Diaz now, but he’s the same guy who once famously branded him “not a needle-mover,” and had tried to book him for a Chimaev ass-kicking on his way out the door. We see you, dog.

Verdict: Pretty much always somewhat of an asshole, but that’s basically his personal brand at this point.