5 fighters who capitalized on late-notice opportunities in the UFC

#4. Khamzat Chimaev vs. John Phillips – UFC Fight Island 1

Khamzat Chimaev shot to fame after winning a late-notice octagon debut fight.

Khamzat Chimaev is currently one of the UFC’s fastest rising stars. If his trajectory continues the way it has gone thus far, there’s no doubt he could receive a shot at the promotion’s welterweight title in the near future.

However, ‘Borz’ would not have gained the momentum – and the fame – he has had had he not decided to accept an incredibly late-notice booking against John Phillips on his octagon debut in 2020.

Welsh middleweight Phillips was initially booked to fight Dusko Todorovic on the undercard of the promotion’s first visit to Abu Dhabi’s Fight Island. However, when a medical issue sidelined the Serb with eight days to go, Chimaev agreed to step in.

At the time, nobody had heard of the Swedish-based Chechnyan fighter. However, that quickly changed when he absolutely destroyed Phillips, finishing him off with a D’Arce choke in the second round.

The win earned Chimaev a $50K bonus. Just ten days later, ‘Borz’ capitalized on another late-notice booking by taking out Rhys McKee with a first-round TKO. Essentially, he hasn’t looked back since then. He has rocketed to stardom, proving that sometimes, taking a late booking can be the best thing for a fighter’s career.

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#3. Nate Diaz vs. Conor McGregor – UFC 196

Nate Diaz became a megastar, thanks to a late-notice win over Conor McGregor.

When the UFC booked reigning featherweight champion Conor McGregor for a lightweight title bout against Rafael Dos Anjos in early 2016, they were essentially handing ‘The Notorious’ a shot at making history.

McGregor did end up breaking one record – UFC 196 shattered the promotion’s pay-per-view buyrate record. However, it would be his opponent who gained the most from the fight that took place.

A broken foot sidelined Dos Anjos just eleven days before the event. With the promotion scrambling for a replacement to keep McGregor on the card, Nate Diaz decided to step in, reportedly accepting the bout while partying on a yacht.

Early on, it looked like he had made a huge mistake. ‘The Notorious’ went on the attack in the early going of the clash, busting Diaz up with some haymakers, but despite being bloody, the Stockton-based brawler was undeterred.

McGregor began to slow down as the fight went on. That’s when Diaz took over with his crisper volume striking. He eventually hurt the Irishman, forcing him to shoot for a takedown. Diaz – a high-level grappler – easily reversed the Irishman, and ended up submitting him with a rear naked choke.

Not only was this a huge late-notice victory for Diaz, but it also changed the trajectory of his career entirely. Before this win, he was largely considered a popular journeyman.

After beating McGregor, though, Diaz became one of the promotion’s biggest stars and best drawing cards – a spot he has maintained to this day.