UFC 279

SportsLine's Kyle Marley reveals his UFC 279 picks and predictions for Nate Diaz vs. Khamzat Chimaev.

He's also backing "a dangerous grappler" to emerge with a surprising upset victory. The 30-year-old was knocked out by rising prospect Jamahal Hill in February. Diaz (20-13) never won a title but fought for it once, coming up short against former lightweight champion Benson Henderson nearly 10 years ago. The 28-year-old is coming off a submission loss to veteran Ryan Spann in May. Diaz has won just one UFC fight since the first meeting with McGregor, but the Northern California native's popularity remains unchanged among his fan base. However, his legacy was cemented when he pierced the veil of Conor McGregor's perceived invincibility in their March 2016 showdown. The Diaz brothers are revered for their tenacity, fearlessness and irreverent attitudes outside of the cage. Their wild, three-round brawl generated Fight of the Night honors and Chimaev won a razor-thin decision. He memorably knocked out veteran submission specialist Gerald Meerschaert with the first punch thrown in their September 2020 fight. He watches every single fight for every professional MMA card and does extensive research before each event. Before making any UFC 279 picks, make sure you He could lock up a title shot with an impressive win over Diaz, a 15-year UFC veteran who is considered among the pioneers of the growth of the sport.

LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie is on scene and reporting live from Friday's official UFC 279 fighter weigh-ins, which kick off at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Denis Tiuliulin () Chris Barnett () vs. Anton Turkalj () Jamie Pickett () vs. Julian Erosa () Jailton Almeida () vs. ET)Hakeem Dawodu () vs. Li Jingliang () Kevin Holland () vs. Nate Diaz () Tony Ferguson () vs.

Brett Appley previews three fights from UFC 279, including the main event between Nate Diaz and Khamzat Chimaev.

There may even be some value on the line if Dawodu is truly the better round winner and the more likely fighter to win inside the distance. Essentially, this fight projects to take place on the feet, and it projects to be fought at a high pace with lots of exchanges. My expectation is that Erosa will need to create wild exchanges and draw Dawodu into a firefight, or he’ll need to grapple. Movsar Evloev took him down nine times and won a decision, but Evloev is one of the best prospects in that featherweight division. Erosa does throw volume, and he’ll carry a few inches in height over Dawodu, but I don’t feel he’ll be able to land as easily or as effectively over three rounds. Erosa has been knocked out in four of his five UFC losses, and a few of them have been pretty devastating. If he can close the distance with any consistency, I would not be surprised to see Rodriguez land more effectively and take rounds, or even hurt Holland. From a betting perspective, I will choose to pass on the Chimaev moneyline, for obvious reasons. Diaz is a longtime black belt in jiu-jitsu but he defends takedowns at 41 percent, and it won’t be difficult for Chimaev to earn top position if that’s his preferred method of fighting. Though his jiu-jitsu might allow him to survive on the mat, Chimaev has a strong chance to land takedowns and earn control early. Even on the feet, Diaz’ reaction times are slower than they used to be, and Chimaev should be able to land consistently and at an efficient pace. Diaz’ UFC contract is set to run out, though I won’t be surprised to see him eventually take on Conor McGregor for the third time, and he’s already released his plans to enter the business side of MMA with his Real Fight Inc.

Ahead of Saturday's UFC 279 in Las Vegas, theScore's Jack Browne makes his picks for the top bouts. Welterweight main event. Nate Diaz (21-13)

The best path to victory for Ferguson is to wrestle Li, who was controlled on the ground by Chimaev and Magny. Realizing he didn't have the size to compete in a wrestler-dominated middleweight top 15, Holland dropped down to welterweight and has now won two fights via stoppage in 2022. But Chimaev is too strong, too skilled on the ground, and too stubborn to allow that to happen. This has all the makings of a pure stand-up brawl. And it could end up being the best fight of the event, with both fighters more than willing to throw down. While this sometimes leads to success, it's more commonly a desperate decision that seals the end of a fighter's career. But the damage he's taken recently and the cumulative effects from a career spent fighting and training with reckless abandon might be irreversible. Diaz's likely only hope is to try and survive until the later rounds and submit a tiring Chimaev. While often confident to the point of ignoring reality, Diaz seems to know a loss is inevitable, Chimaev was tested for the first time by Burns, and while the fight showed he isn't invulnerable, the Swede proved his chin and will are ironclad. In true rebel spirit, he's forcing his way out of the UFC, with this being the final fight of his contract. Diaz is still a top-five draw in the UFC, a beloved cult hero who has transcended wins and losses.

Gilbert Burns, the last man to share an Octagon with Khamzat Chimaev, says despite Nate Diaz being a huge underdog, the star from Stockton can win on ...

"I want Nate Diaz to win and I hope he survives the first two rounds and then put on a beating on Khazmat. [get back in the Octagon](https://www.tmz.com/2022/04/12/gilbert-burns-wants-khamzat-chimaev-rematch-ufc/) with Chimaev ... And, that's why Burns thinks he can beat Khamzat ... "It's gonna be tough the first two rounds. "100%. Diaz has an incredible gas tank, while Khamzat hasn't yet proven he can fight 5 rounds. Burns lost the razer close fight by decision ... a loss in June 2021 to now-champ where we asked the #4 ranked UFC welterweight if Diaz could truly get a W. In fact, Nate's only had one scrap since late 2019 ... "I think the first two rounds are gonna be very rough for Diaz but the veteran that he is and a lot of experience, I hope he gets through those two rounds and then I think the fights gonna turn to the other side." "I'm looking forward to Nate Diaz surviving that storm that [Khamzat's] gonna bring in the first two rounds but after that I think Nate Diaz got a chance," Burns said.

The co-main event for this one is also intriguing. Tony Ferguson is returning the welterweight division on Saturday. His first challenge in this new phase of ...

There’s also a match-up of undefeated UFC heavyweights Jailton Almeida vs. The prelims get an exciting featherweight clash in the featured spot with Hakeem Dawudo vs. Daniel Rodriguez and Irena Aldana vs. Ion Cutelaba, Kevin Holland vs. Rounding out the PPV card is Johnny Walker vs. Tony Ferguson is returning the welterweight division on Saturday.

UFC 279 predictions, preview, and analysis for the Khamzat Chimaev vs. Nate Diaz pay-per-view (PPV) event this Sat. night (Sept. 10, 2022) at T-Mobile Arena ...

ET on [ESPN+](http://go.web.plus.espn.com/c/482924/595608/9070?subId2=%5B%5Dsb%5Bp%5D22948457%5Bt%5Dw%5Br%5Dmmamania.com/ufc-prelims%5Bd%5DD&sharedid=MMAMania) PPV with live results and “Khamzat vs. [right here](https://www.mmamania.com/ufc-279-results-live-stream-fight-card-start-time-date-location-odds-highlights-khamzat-nate-diaz-espn-ppv-mma). [MMAmania.com](http://mmamania.com/) will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 279 fight card, starting with the early UFC Fight Pass/ [ESPN+](http://go.web.plus.espn.com/c/482924/595608/9070?subId2=%5B%5Dsb%5Bp%5D22948457%5Bt%5Dw%5Br%5Dmmamania.com/ufc-prelims%5Bd%5DD&sharedid=MMAMania) “Prelims” matches at 6 p.m. “Anything can happen” is one of the old standbys when it comes to selling people on MMA, and there’s barely any hyperbole involved in this one. ET as well as the remaining undercard balance on ESPNN/ [ESPN+](http://go.web.plus.espn.com/c/482924/595608/9070?subId2=%5B%5Dsb%5Bp%5D22948457%5Bt%5Dw%5Br%5Dmmamania.com/ufc-prelims%5Bd%5DD&sharedid=MMAMania) at 8 p.m. In a clash of fighters seemingly eager to trip over their own feet at the smallest opportunity, I have to lean towards Cutelaba. if it does turn into a firefight, Aldana’s power has felled superior opponents than Chiasson’s and she’s the superior technician, at least in terms of offense. “The Iceman” was on point; sharp, patient, powerful, the best he’d looked in years. The key to Aldana’s loss to Holly Holm, which will likely put a hard ceiling on her viability as a contender, was an inability to deal with lateral movement. 10, 2022) for its latest pay-per-view (PPV) event, which sees 170-pound ultra-prospect Khamzat Chimaev take on the inimitable Nate Diaz in a five-round featured attraction. Seeing as Diaz’s face is made of stitched-together hamburger meat at this point, odds are that Chimaev’s ground-and-pound either carves Diaz up for a cut stoppage or forces the ref to step in for mercy’s sake after a scorched-earth campaign on Diaz’s remaining brain cells. Bantamweight sluggers Irene Aldana and Macy Chiasson meet in the main card’s sole women’s fight, while floundering Light Heavyweights Johnny Walker and Ion Cutelaba open the show in a must-win battle of finishers.

The Sporting News will be providing updates from the last weigh-in in the UFC for Nate Diaz.

- Main event: 12:15 a.m. The Sporting News may earn an affiliate commission when you sign up for a streaming service through our links. New subscribers can pay a bundle price of $99.98 for the UFC 279 pay-per-view and an ESPN+ annual subscription, which offers savings of more than 30 percent. - Main card: 10 p.m. and Mexico on the ESPN+ subscription streaming service for a pay-per-view cost. 12 p.m. 10 a.m. The Sporting News will be providing weigh-in results for UFC 279. Chimaev finally returned in October 2021 and beat Li Jingliang via submission. He made his pro debut in 2018 and joined the UFC in 2020, winning three fights for the promotion that year. Diaz is 14-11 with the UFC and has competed against Clay Guida, Donald Cerrone, Jim Miller, Gray Maynard and Conor McGregor. In the last fight of his UFC contract, he will face Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 279 inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Check out a live video stream of the UFC 279 ceremonial weigh-ins, featuring Khamzat Chimaev vs. Nate Diaz in Las Vegas.

The weigh-ins take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. ET (4 p.m. [UFC 279](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/events/ufc-279-chimaev-vs-diaz) ceremonial fighter weigh-ins take place Friday, and you can catch a live video stream of the proceedings here on MMA Junkie at 7 p.m.

UFC 279 is headlined by a welterweight bout between Khamzat Chimaev and Nate Diaz. UFC 279 takes place th...

Jingliang is a knockout artist and Ferguson is only four months removed from one of the most devastating knockout losses in UFC history. While the main event is a fascinating matchup, the co-main event is where you’ll find the UFC 279 best bet of the night. 10, live from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The co-main event of UFC 279 will feature a welterweight bout between Li Jingliang and Tony Ferguson. Bet on the underdog, or pass on this one altogether. If Jingliang manages to wind up on top of Ferguson, Ferguson hasn’t done enough recently to convince anyone that he is able or willing to work back to his feet.

Where one “Smesh Bro” goes, the other follows. UFC 279 fight week has gone down in history for having not only the quickest pre-fight press conference of ...

Also follow MMAFighting on I’m crying for this nice guy dressed the nice suit . I flip a guy off and I'm the worst thing ever for the sport and have no sportsmanship. Jake is 25 with power and has no wear & tear on him. he is still 47 with a lifetime of combat miles on him. I signed with PFL for 2023! I need to tell you guys! Let me tell you one thing, most of them are fighters and most of us are fighters. White was also asked about the ceremonials being a reasonable concern after what went down but guaranteed this type of situation would never happen again. With ceremonial weigh-ins coming later today, he promises that the “Smesh Bros” won’t be separated in case any further shenanigans start up. [UFC 279](https://www.mmafighting.com/fight-card/1324/ufc-279-chimaev-vs-diaz) fight week has gone down in history for having not only the quickest pre-fight press conference of all time but perhaps the most eventful. “We went to our side, they were at their side,” he continued.

Khamzat Chimaev confronted Kevin Holland which appeared to kickstart the brawl backstage at the UFC 279 press conference.

We’re gonna fight against the champs and the guys that are over us, not under us. “We’re here to fight in the cage, not in the streets, 50 (on) one types of things like that – sportsmen, that’s what we are, sportsmen. … The same with Paulo (Costa), they’re not gonna get a fight. “And no, Kevin is not gonna get a fight with Khamzat. Chimaev meets Diaz in Saturday’s UFC 279 main event and Holland competes on the same night when he takes on Daniel Rodriguez. Clearly “Borz” didn’t take kindly to those comments, and according to his head coach Andreas Michael, Chimaev (11-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) push kicked him in the chest.

Kevin Holland is scheduled Saturday to face Daniel Rodriguez in a 180-pound bout on the UFC 279 pay-per-view main card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

I looked at the rankings on Tuesday, and I was f–king unranked at middleweight and unranked at welterweight. So I was sitting in the room one night, middle of the night, I woke up. [I’m] supposed to be going to sleep, got school the next morning, got work the next morning, but I was like, “Alright, cool. It was kind of confusing that I was once ranked at [185]. I have a decent buzz behind my name, and as long as I keep collecting dubs [wins], it’s kind of hard to turn that down. If I could f–king retire from fighting and be as good as that guy at coaching and be as good as my manager at managing, then I think I’d be doing a really good justice to the MMA community; more justice than I’m doing now, so that’d be awesome. That’s probably more likely what I’ll do, so I can have a consistent job base, and open up a couple of small businesses, coach a few fighters with the guys that I came up with in the game and then try to become just as good as James Krause. And then I looked up, and I was like, “Oh, f–k, I’m two weeks out from the fight.” And then I realized I needed to go start training. I just wanted to use a little bit of the popularity I have to help push him. I like helping other fighters get sponsors and stuff like that, so I don’t mind the whole management scene, so probably management and probably open up a gym one day. But I felt like Big Mouth was a real universal name. A: I just felt like Trailblazer wasn’t really like a rapping name.

The highly anticipated UFC 279 press conference featuring Khamzat Chimaev and Nate Diaz was canceled at the last second after a backstage brawl involving ...

“Nobody got threatened with a gun, nobody got hurt, nobody went to hospital, nobody got stubbed, nobody got murdered, nobody!” he wrote. “And no, Kevin (Holland) is not gonna get a fight with Khamzat. It will be a very tense day and a half from now until the pay-per-view starts. “We’re here to fight in the cage and not in the streets,” he continued. On Saturday we got a fight coming up, and that’s the most important thing, all right? And then the Diaz crew came in, and they started doing what they’re doing, but nobody got injured.

Khamzat Chimaev's coach Andreas Michael addresses the rumors surrounding Thursday's UFC 279 press conference chaos.

Respect everyone and lets do our fighting in the cage. On Saturday, we’ve got a fight coming up and that’s the most important thing.” “Then they started whatever they’re doing and then the Diaz crew came in and they started doing what they were doing. “We’re here to fight in the cage, not in the streets. “What happened was that Khamzat went inside by himself, then he came and it started with Kevin Holland and gave him, like, a boot in the chest,” Michael said. A wide variety of reports and rumors poured in the wake of the melee, which UFC President

On July 11, 2022, Nick Bostic of Lafayette, Indiana was driving home from the gas station when he noticed a nearby house on fire. Without hesitation, Bostic ...

Now, he will have the opportunity to meet UFC President Dana White and watch UFC 279: Chimaev vs Diaz in T-Mobile Arena this Saturday as a thank you for his heroism on July 11. “My opportunity in life and chance to make a difference in the world off just one action,” Bostic said regarding the doors that have opened for him since that night. The way the world is, I’d want to bring my boy or girl into a world with people integrating acts of kindness in their decision making.” I knew one day that the world could be tough for my kids to grow up in and, at a couple points in my life, I didn’t know whether I should think about having kids. When Bostic was approaching the home, he already had made up his mind many years earlier what he’d do in a situation like this. Nonetheless, Bostic crashed through a second-floor window with her in his arms, carrying her to local police as they arrived on scene.

They've Stepped On The Scales In Las Vegas To Make It Official For Saturday's Pay Per View Event.

[Nate Diaz vs Conor McGregor](https://www.ufc.com/video/free-fight-nate-diaz-vs-conor-mcgregor-ufc-279-chimaev-diaz-vegas) [Nate Diaz vs Cowboy Cerrone](https://www.ufc.com/video/free-fight-nate-diaz-vs-donald-cowboy-cerrone-ufc-279-chimaev-diaz-vegas) [Khamzat Chimaev vs Li Jingliang](https://www.ufc.com/video/free-fight-khamzat-chimaev-vs-li-jingliang-ufc-279-chimaev-diaz-vegas) [Khamzat Chimaev vs Gilbert Burns](https://www.ufc.com/video/free-fight-khamzat-chimaev-vs-gilbert-burns-ufc-279-chimaev-diaz-vegas) [UFC 279: Chimaev vs Diaz](/event/ufc-279), Live From T-Mobile Arena In Las Vegas, Nevada. [ESPN+](https://plus.espn.com/ufc/ppv?ex_cid=DSS-OFF-UFC-INARTICLE-EN) PPV.

Diaz goes inward for what scares him most—and it's not facing Khamzat Chimaev in his final fight for UFC.

While 279 has its share of star power, it is by no means a contender for the deepest card of the year. People are going to see the best, so keep your eyes open.” That’s why I’m done with the promotion. Chimaev is the overwhelming odds favorite, but Diaz (20–13) has no issues being the underdog. That’s the plan. “I spent two years of my life fighting in Vegas. “I’m still going to fight, 100 percent,” Diaz says. With the exception of his last fight, where Gilbert Burns nearly knocked him out, Chimaev (11–0) has defeated opponents with relative ease. They can run, and they creep up on you.” But Diaz is human. “That was scary as f---. There is no opponent who frightens the MMA icon from Stockton, Calif.

Watch UFC 279 weigh-in video to see the UFC 279 fighters step on the scale Friday morning.

Darian Weeks (170.5) vs. Melissa Martinez (113.5) vs. Alatengheili (135) Chad Anheliger (135.5) vs. Norma Dumont (146) vs. Jake Collier (265) vs. Denis Tiuliulin (186) vs. Jailton Almeida (216.5) vs. Johnny Walker (205) vs. Irene Aldana (137.5) vs. Kevin Holland (179.5) vs. Tony Ferguson (171) vs.

Khamzat Chimaev a dépassé la limite de poids de 7,5 livres en vue de son affrontement contre Nate Diaz lors de l'affrontement principal de l'UFC 279.

Deux autres combattants ont toutefois raté la cible, d'abord le Canadien Hakeem Dawodu, qui a dépassé de 3,5 livres. Lainesse a affiché un poids de 171 livres. Yohan Lainesse (171) c. Weeks a quant à lui affiché un poids de 170,5 lb. Norma Dumont (146) c. Puis son partenaire d'entraînement Alan Jouban a partagé une photo d'eux pour indiquer qu'il connaît quelqu'un qui serait prêt à relever le défi en pointant Poirier. Irene Aldana (137,5) c. — Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev)— Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) Chimaev ne semblait en tout cas pas tellement embarrassé de l'affaire alors qu'il rigolait lors de la pesée. Kevin Holland (179,5) c. Tony Ferguson (171) c. 2022.

Swedish fighter Khamzat Chimaev missed the weight for Saturday's main event showdown with American Nate Diaz at UFC 279, throwing the card into further ...

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