Last week, Bleacher Report previewed the UFC 230 fight card. In the days that followed, however, the event was turned upside down.

One main event was scrapped, a new one was announced and the co-main event is still somewhat in limbo. The card, as of this writing, stands as follows:

Main Card (Pay-Per-View)

• Daniel Cormier vs. Derrick Lewis
• Luke Rockhold vs. Chris Weidman
• Ronaldo Souza vs. David Branch
• Karl Roberson vs. Jack Marshman
• Derek Brunson vs. Israel Adesanya

Preliminary Card (Fox Sports 1)

• Jason Knight vs. Jordan Rinaldi
• Sijara Eubanks vs. Roxanne Modafferi
• Julio Arce vs. Sheymon Moraes
• Lyman Good vs. Sultan Aliev

Preliminary Card (UFC Fight Pass)

• Matt Frevola vs. Lando Vannata
• Shane Burgos vs. Kurt Holobaugh
• Brian Kelleher vs. Montel Jackson

So what happened to this card? What's the story behind the headliners? And how is it compared to the card previewed last week? Read on and find out!

The Main Event: Daniel Cormier vs. Derrick Lewis

What a surprise this is.

When Daniel Cormier won the UFC heavyweight championship in July and was confronted in the cage by Brock Lesnar, it seemed as though the rest of his career was set in stone. He would take a few months off, face Lesnar in early 2019, and then likely retire as the champ-champ, giving fans a rare feel-good moment from a fighter on his way out the door.

For whatever reason, that changed shortly after UFC 229. 

Following a tidal wave of backlash against the previously announced UFC 230 main event of Valentina Shevchenko vs. Sijara Eubanks, the promotion began looking for a different headliner. It's unclear what, exactly, lured Cormier into the discussion (though the likely explanation is an extra chunk of change) but when he put pen to paper, there was no question about who he should face next.

Though UFC 229 will mostly be remembered for the Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor main event, the hard-hitting Derrick Lewis made the most of his time on camera that night. Facing Alexander Volkov, the Black Beast scored a massive knockout win and followed it with a memorable post-fight interview. His 9-1 record since 2016 would have made him a viable title contender on its own, but when his fan-favorite status seeped into the mainstream following that win, he became the trendiest name in the division.

The UFC is looking to strike while Lewis' iron is hot but, unfortunately, this fight is unlikely to go well for him.

Though Lewis' dynamite hands give him a shot against anyone, his lacking cardio and suspect grappling game are massive concerns against Cormier, a former Olympic wrestler and career five-round fighter. In all likelihood, Cormier either out-wrestles him for a handy decision win or finds the opportunity to sink in a submission.

The Co-Main Event: Luke Rockhold vs. Chris Weidman

The previously announced co-main event contest between Nate Diaz and Dustin Poirier is off due to an injury sustained by Poirier. While there was initially some chatter about the UFC finding a replacement opponent for Diaz, he has since been officially removed from the card on the UFC's official website.

Replacing that fight in the co-main event slot is Luke Rockhold vs. Chris Weidman 2.

From a pure X's and O's standpoint, this is an intriguing fight. Rockhold and Weidman have been ranked among the middleweight elite for years now and own varied skillsets that should combine for an exciting scrap. What's more, their first showdown carries a bit of an asterisk, turning on a single moment when Rockhold caught a spinning kick from Weidman, setting up a prolonged stretch of ground-and-pound that eventually led to the finish.

There's a lot of reason to like this fight, but fans of either man ought to be quite concerned heading into it, too. Though both are former champions who could potentially recapture gold down the line, they are on very unsteady footing at the moment.

Rockhold has been less-than-active since his 2016 loss to Michael Bisping and will enter UFC 230 coming off his ugly loss to Yoel Romero. Weidman is even worse off, given his prolonged layoff and the fact that he is just one fight removed from a three-fight losing streak that nearly ended his career. Neither can comfortably take a loss right now and whoever comes out on the wrong end of this one is going to lose a lot of ground in any title shot discussions. 

This bout is almost a coinflip when it comes to picking a winner, though a slight edge should be given to Rockhold. Still, it's hard not to dread the aftermath.

Other Notable Fights Still on the Card

The main and co-main event of this card has been shaken up repeatedly over recent weeks. The rest of the card, however, has largely avoided any major changes. 

In some ways, that's a good thing since the main card is set to be a particularly strong one that includes a trio of high-level middleweight bouts. In other ways, not so much, since the preliminary card is utterly anemic.

Here's a quick rundown of the other noteworthy fights set for UFC 230 (more details on most of these fights can be found on the previously published preview):

Sijara Eubanks vs. Roxanne Modafferi

Sijara Eubanks had the rug yanked out from under her when it came to fighting in the UFC 230 main event, but she's going to stay on the card...in the middle of the prelims. At UFC 230, she'll rematch her former rival from The Ultimate Fighter, Roxanne Modafferi, in a fight that could easily lead the winner to a flyweight title shot. Not a great turn of events for Eubanks.

Derek Brunson vs. Israel Adesanya

Israel Adesanya could be the next big thing in the UFC, but the promotion isn't giving him an easy path to the top. In just his fourth fight in the company, he'll face top-10-ranked Derek Brunson in a bout that will either cement his place among the elite or stunt his growth for years.

Ronaldo Souza vs. David Branch

Jacare is back at UFC 230 and, unfortunately, he's still spinning his wheels in the contenders' queue. He's set to fight David Branch at the event, though that bout does little for him in victory and strips away a lot in defeat.

Is UFC 230 Better After so Many Shakeups?

For a brief time, it seemed like UFC 230 was set to be an exceptional card. Daniel Cormier vs. Derrick Lewis is a solid main event, but a high stakes co-headliner in Dustin Poirier vs. Nate Diaz? That would have pushed it to another level.

Unfortunately, that was short-lived. Though the UFC kept Diaz listed on the card for days after the bout with Poirier was canceled, it ultimately failed to convince him to take a replacement opponent. Losing him dealt a serious blow to the event, which will likely be felt both by fans and the promotion.

UFC 230 still shakes out as an acceptable card on the whole with a decent main event and enough backup to deliver a full night of fun, but it might still be one worth passing on for fans that don't have an unlimited amount of disposable cash.

UFC 229 was a hit to most fans' wallets, and things aren't slowing down as Christmas approaches. UFC 231 is arguably better than this card and UFC 232 is shaping up to be the next major pay-per-view event with Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson and Cris Cyborg vs. Amanda Nunes both attached to the card.

Ultimately, these late changes have helped to buoy the UFC 230 card and made it a decent option for diehard fans. It's hard not to lament what could have been, though.