The event began descending into turmoil during the pre-fight press conference. An altercation backstage reportedly involving more than 100 people broke out between the teams of , Kevin Holland , and Nate Diaz . The situation was deemed so dangerous for public safety that UFC President Dana White was forced to cancel the press conference entirely—an unprecedented move in the promotion's history. The Weigh-in Crisis
Faced with a collapsing pay-per-view, the UFC orchestrated a massive 14-hour scramble to save the event by rearranging the top three fights into more equitable matchups:
The story of UFC 279 is widely regarded as one of the most chaotic in mixed martial arts history, marked by a massive backstage brawl, a significant weight miss, and a complete reshuffling of the main card only 24 hours before the event. The Backstage Chaos