'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Due to the nature of the sport of MMA, the UFC often has to deal with last-minute card changes, with injuries, visa issues and the like being commonplace. However, it is relatively rare for a main event to fall apart with just days to go.
When this does happen, the promotion is forced to scramble and find a replacement bout. Sometimes, they will find someone to step in on short notice to face the remaining fighter, as was the case in Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Al Iaquinta at UFC 223.
In other cases, they are forced to scrap the main event entirely and promote a new fight as the headline bout. In the following list, we break down five occasions where the promotion had to replace a main event on late notice.
Trending
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
#5. Johnny Walker vs. Jamahal Hill - UFC Vegas 48
The most recent example of the original main event being scrapped took place at UFC Vegas 48. Lightweights Rafael dos Anjos and Rafael Fiziev were set to face off in a classic veteran vs. rising prospect matchup.
However, Fiziev had visa issues that forced the bout to be rescheduled for a later date. This resulted in the co-main event between light heavyweights Johnny Walker and Jamahal Hill being bumped up to the headlining fight.
Hill would dispatch Walker in the first round, picking up a highlight-reel finish and forcing his way into the top 10 of the division. The high profile nature of the Walker win will likely see him face a top ranked opponent next, possibly in yet another main event bout.
#4. UFC 215 - Amanda Nunes vs. Valentina Shevchenko 2
This event was the promotion's first event to be held in Edmonton, Canada and was originally set to be headlined by a flyweight title fight. Demetrious Johnson was scheduled to defend his 125 lb title against Ray Borg, who was 5-1 in his last six fights.
Unfortunately, Borg would be forced to withdraw from the fight mere days before the event was to take place. 'The Tazmexican Devil' came down with an illness that resulted in doctors deeming him medically unfit to compete.
Instead, a women's bantamweight title fight would be moved to the headline bout. A rematch between two of the all-time greatest women's MMA fighters took place in the form of Amanda Nunes vs. Valentina Shevchenko 2.
Nunes ultimately won a very close match in a split-decision victory, cementing her place as the best female fighter in the promotion at the time. Not all fans were happy with the result, and many have called for a trilogy bout to be made in the future.
#3. UFC 206 - Max Holloway vs. Anthony Pettis
UFC 206 was initially scheduled to feature a main event rematch between Daniel Cormier and Anthony Johnson. After several canceled bouts with Jon Jones, Cormier was looking for a new opponent, and Johnson had won three consecutive fights since their first matchup.
However, as fight day approached, news broke that Cormier had suffered a torn adductor in his groin. Thankfully, the promotion had an electric co-main event that was moved to the main-event slot.
Max Holloway took on Anthony Pettis in an interim featherweight title bout. This would be Holloway's breakout fight, as he TKO'd the former lightweight champion, beginning one of the all-time great runs at 145lbs. Pettis would move back up to lightweight, and then welterweight, eventually parting ways with the promotion in 2020.
#2. UFC 234 - Israel Adesanya vs. Anderson Silva
This event was set to feature middleweight champion Robert Whittaker defending his title in his home country of Australia against Kelvin Gastelum. In a shocking turn of events, Whittaker would be diagnosed with a hernia, which required surgery and forced him out of the fight.
The event was still headlined by two top middleweights, as future middleweight champ Israel Adesanya and former middleweight champ Anderson Silva took on the mantle of the main event.
Unfortunately, the fight was contested for only three rounds due to its short-notice nature. Adesanya won a competitive decision and would go on to defeat both Gastelum and Whittaker en route to becoming world champion. Silva has since retired from MMA, and is instead pursuing a career in boxing.
#1. UFC 200 - Miesha Tate vs. Amanda Nunes
UFC 200 was intended to be headlined by the grand rematch between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz. McGregor was handed his first UFC loss earlier in the year by Diaz, and the buzz for a second bout between the two men was at an all-time high.
However, after Conor McGregor refused to fly to the US to take part in pre-fight promotional work, the UFC pulled him and Nate Diaz from the card, much to the dismay of fans across the world.
It initially appeared that Daniel Cormier vs. Jon Jones 2 would take the headline spot, but the fight fell apart with mere days to go. Anderson Silva stepped in to fight Cormier in a non-title bout, and Amanda Nunes vs. Miesha Tate was moved to the headline slot.
Nunes defeated Tate via submission, claiming the women's bantamweight title and starting a reign that lasted all the way until the end of 2021. Tate retired from MMA in the years after this title loss, although she has since returned to the sport.
