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

This weekend sees the UFC return to Las Vegas for another Fight Night show. In the headliner, Bobby Green has a late chance at glory in a last-minute fight with top lightweight contender Islam Makhachev.

Over the years, we’ve seen numerous instances of fighters capitalizing on late-notice opportunities in the UFC. They picked up wins nobody expected them to pull off.

Is it risky to take a bout in the octagon on late notice? Of course, but sometimes, the potential rewards are well worth any risk. On that note, here are five fighters who capitalized on late-notice opportunities in the UFC:

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#5. Charlie Brenneman vs. Rick Story – UFC on Versus 4

In 2011, the hottest rising star in the UFC’s welterweight division was Rick Story. ‘The Horror’ debuted in the octagon in 2009. After suffering a setback in his first bout, he quickly used his wrestling and punching power to reel off six straight victories.

When a planned headline bout between top-ranked contenders Nate Marquardt and Anthony Johnson fell apart after ‘Rumble’ picked up an injury, Story sensed an opportunity. He agreed to fight Marquardt on a month’s notice, and hoped to move into title contention with a win.

Incredibly, though, on the day of the weigh-ins, Marquardt was forced out of the bout due to an undisclosed medical issue. That left Story without an opponent – until Charlie Brenneman - who had been training for an eventually scrapped fight with TJ Grant, agreed to step in.

The move seemed insane. That’s because only was ‘The Spaniard’ stepping in on horrendously late notice, but his record wasn’t nearly as good as Story’s either.

However, Brenneman held an ace up his sleeve in the form of his experience as an NCAA Division I All-American wrestler. He figured that Story would be unable to outwrestle him. If he could turn the tables on ‘The Horror’, he could come out on top.

Incredibly, that was exactly how the fight transpired. Brenneman outgrappled his more accomplished foe for three straight rounds, winning a clear-cut decision.

‘The Spaniard’ never went into title contention. He would fall to Johnson in his next bout, but considering the way he stole Story’s momentum, he definitely deserves a spot on this list.

#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.

#2. Michael Bisping vs. Luke Rockhold – UFC 199

Michael Bisping pulled off a major upset to down Luke Rockhold on late notice in 2016.

When Michael Bisping agreed a late-notice shot at the UFC middleweight title in the summer of 2016, it looked like he was up against insurmountable odds. That’s because he was replacing Chris Weidman in just under a month’s notice. Moreover, the champion he would face – Luke Rockhold – had whitewashed him in a previous clash.

Nevertheless, ‘The Count’ essentially had nothing to lose. At the time, he was heading towards the tail end of his career, and was widely recognized as one of the best fighters never to have receive a shot at UFC gold. Basically, this fight was his last roll of the dice. Despite Rockhold being installed as a huge betting favorite for the bout, incredibly, Bisping’s big gamble paid off in spades.

As soon as the fight began, it was clear Rockhold was almost too confident for his own good. Evidently, his earlier win over Bisping had made him decide that ‘The Count’ posed no threat to him whatsoever.

That turned out to be a huge mistake. Just over three minutes into the first round, Bisping took advantage of Rockhold failing to protect his chin. Bisping clobbered him with a huge left hand that sent him reeling. Another put the champion down, and ‘The Count’ quickly followed up to seal the victory.

To say this was a huge upset would be an understatement. However, for Bisping, it turned out to be the culmination of years of hard work and determination – as well as a reward for taking a risky bout on late notice.

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#1. Jon Jones vs. Mauricio Rua – UFC 128

After beating Ryan Bader, Jon Jones received a late-notice title shot - and made the most of it.

Nate Diaz’s big win over Conor McGregor turned him into a genuine superstar, while Michael Bisping’s victory over Luke Rockhold gave him the UFC title he’d always craved. However, it’s arguable that no fighter made the most of a late-notice opportunity than Jon Jones.

‘Bones’ held the UFC light heavyweight title for four years during his first reign as champion. He made a total of eight successful defenses, breaking a record held by the legendary Tito Ortiz.

However, it’s easy to forget that his first title victory, which came over Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua at UFC 128 in March 2011, was a late-notice bout that Jones wasn’t initially supposed to be a part of.

Rua was in fact booked to fight Jones’ then-teammate Rashad Evans in the event’s headline bout. However, ‘Suga’ blew his knee out during his training camp, forcing him out of the fight.

Incredibly, the promotion didn’t announce that until after Jones had choked out Ryan Bader to pick up the then-biggest win of his career. That happened just six weeks before UFC 128 was due to take place.

In one of the most memorable incidents in the octagon in the promotion’s history, Jones was offered the title shot during the post-fight interview that followed his win over Bader. Unsurprisingly, the then-23-year old accepted. The rest, as they say, is history.

Despite Rua’s experience, Jones utterly destroyed him, finishing him with strikes in the third round to become the new champion. Considering the dominant title reign ‘Bones’ then went on to produce, he remains the greatest example of a fighter who capitalized enormously on a late-notice opportunity in the octagon.