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This weekend's UFC event will see Ikram Aliskerov take on Robert Whittaker on late notice. For Aliskerov, it's a high risk, high reward fight.
Over the years, we've seen plenty of UFC fighters capitalize on late-notice opportunities. While everyone remembers the likes of Michael Bisping and T.J. Dillashaw claiming gold on short notice, though, plenty of lesser-known fighters also capitalized on these kind of opportunities. Some even went onto genuine stardom.
Here are five lesser-known UFC fighters who capitalized on late-notice opportunities.
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#5. Kevin Burns vs. Roan Carneiro - UFC 85 (2008)
June 2008's UFC 85 was a largely thrown-together card in general, as a number of fights fell apart on late notice. In the end, even the headliner, which featured Matt Hughes taking on Thiago Alves, was a short-notice bout.
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However, the fighter who capitalized on a late-notice opportunity the most was definitely Kevin Burns.
'The Fire' was a complete unknown at the time, sporting a 6-1 record with no big-name victories on his ledger. However, the matchmakers pegged him to face off with Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Roan Carneiro, replacing Japan's Ryo Chonan.
Nobody expected anything from Burns, largely because he'd taken the bout on just over a week's notice. Carneiro, on the other hand, was considered one of the more underrated fighters in the welterweight division.
The fight appeared to be going to the script in the first round, as 'Jucao' took Burns down and easily dominated him on the ground. In hindsight, it was perhaps this dominance that led to his downfall.
When he took 'The Fire' down in the second round, Burns somehow managed to lock up a triangle choke, and despite Carneiro's extensive jiu-jitsu credentials, he was forced to tap out. It was a truly remarkable win for the unheralded Burns, who'd been written off by basically everyone.
His UFC career didn't see any major success, ending with a record of 2-3 in 2009, but his win over Carneiro remains one of the promotion's all-time biggest upsets. This alone qualifies him as a fighter who capitalized on a late-notice opportunity.
#4. Josh Emmett vs. Ricardo Lamas - UFC on Fox 26 (2017)
A perennial contender for the featherweight title over the last few years, Josh Emmett seems to have settled into a role as a very high-end gatekeeper at this stage. Still ranked at No. 7 in the division, he's a danger to any 145 pounder.
Back in 2017, though, despite being 3-1 in the octagon, Emmett was essentially an unknown battling primarily on preliminary cards. That changed in December that year. The final Fox show of the year was supposed to feature a featherweight co-main event pitting former champ Jose Aldo against former title challenger Ricardo Lamas.
However, when Aldo was moved from the event to challenge Max Holloway for the title a month earlier, 'The Bully' was left without an opponent. With about two weeks to go, Emmett was pegged as Aldo's replacement, and frankly, the choice felt underwhelming.
Despite missing weight, though, the unheralded fighter was about to make a name for himself, big time. Late in the first round. Emmett waylaid Lamas with a left hook, leaving him unconscious in an instant.
It was a stunning showing from him, and propelled him directly into the top 10, a spot that he hasn't given up since.
#3. Alexander Hernandez vs. Beneil Dariush - UFC 222 (2018)
UFC 222, which took place in March 2018, featured a number of late-notice changes, including in the headliner and the co-main event.
The most stunning result, though, came on the preliminary card. It was enough to propel a young Alexander Hernandez from obscurity into unlikely lightweight title contention.
Initially, Beneil Dariush had been pegged to face off with another longtime contender in Bobby Green. When 'King' withdrew, though, the UFC identified 'The Great Ape' as his replacement.
Just 25 years old at the time, Hernandez held a record of 8-1, but had never fought on that kind of level before, particularly against a foe like Dariush. Put simply, it felt like unsurmountable odds for him.
Incredibly, though, 'The Great Ape' needed just 42 seconds to defy those odds. He cracked Dariush with a left hand, turning out his lights with one shot.
The win was enough to hand Hernandez a $50k bonus, and kickstarted his octagon career by launching him into the top 10. He's never quite lived up to his potential since, but nobody could deny he made the most of his late-notice opportunity here.
#2. Charlie Brenneman vs. Rick Story - UFC on Versus 4 (2011)
In the summer of 2011, there were few hotter welterweights on the UFC roster than Rick Story. A bullying wrestler with heavy hands, 'The Horror' had reeled off six wins in a row, and climbed into the top ten by beating Johny Hendricks and Thiago Alves.
Unfortunately, Story was about to be brought back down to earth, and in the most remarkable way possible.
Just days after his win over Alves, 'The Horror' agreed to fight Nate Marquardt in the latter's welterweight debut in a headline bout on Versus.
It felt risky for Story, but equally, knocking off 'Nate the Great' also looked like the potential final step towards him claiming a title shot.
However, on literally the day before the event, Marquardt was unexpectedly removed from the fight after what turned out to be a failed drug test. It looked like Story would be removed too, until the unheralded Charlie Brenneman agreed to take the fight on a day's notice.
It felt like a suicidal decision from 'The Spaniard', who held a 2-1 record in the octagon but had been knocked out violently in his own clash with Hendricks.
However, Brenneman held an ace up his sleeve. He had far better amateur wrestling credentials than Story, and he was banking on them to allow him to essentially bully the bully.
Sure enough, that's exactly what happened. Story simply couldn't stop Brenneman's takedown, and wound up on the wrong end of a lopsided decision. The victory propelled Brenneman into unlikely contention, although he didn't last long there, while Story's momentum was utterly wrecked.
This, then, was a case of one unheralded fighter completely capitalizing on a late-notice opportunity, while another saw his own hopes dashed by accepting the fight.
#1. Khamzat Chimaev vs. John Phillips - UFC Fight Night 1 (2020)
Perhaps the best recent example of a largely unknown fighter who completely capitalized on a late-notice opportunity in the UFC is Khamzat Chimaev.
'Borz' came into the octagon for the first time in the summer of 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, the promotion had moved a lot of its shows to Abu Dhabi, and on one of those shows, Welshman John Phillips was scheduled to fight Dusko Todorovic.
The fight had already been scrapped twice before due to COVID-related reasons, and unfortunately for Todorovic, the third time was an unwanted charm again. He was forced out with just a week to go, and Chimaev - who hadn't fought in almost a year - stepped in.
The Sweden-based Chechen was a total unknown at the time despite a solid record of 6-0, but that was about to change dramatically.
'Borz' destroyed Phillips, scoring a second round submission, and then stunned fans by returning just 10 days later to dispatch Rhys McKee.
When he followed that by knocking out Gerald Meerschaert in just 17 seconds, a star was born, and Chimaev has not looked back since. He is now positioned as a potential future champion.
Ironically, of course, his absence this weekend could be Ikram Aliskerov's gain, if the Dagestani can get past Robert Whittaker. Based on what we've seen in the past, stranger things have happened!
