Fight fans finally have some clarity as Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) officials have squared away tomorrow night’s (Sat., Sept. 10, 2022) UFC 279 card live on ESPN+ pay-per-view (PPV) from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Chaos erupted earlier today when Khamzat Chimaev missed weight by nearly eight pounds for his main event clash with Nate Diaz. The bout was almost immediately waved off, but UFC officials still had to scramble to save the card. It took quite some time for all of the negotiations to settle down, but fight fans can finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Diaz, who is expected to be making his final Octagon appearance, will now fight Tony Ferguson in a five-round main event. Khamzat, on the other hand, will now meet welterweight contender Kevin Holland in the co-headliner. Left over are welterweight strikers Li Jingliang and Daniel Rodriguez, who have also agreed to square off on UFC 279’s PPV main card.
The mixed martial arts (MMA) community waited on the edge of its seat for the past five hours for a resolution to all the UFC 279 madness. The verdict was finally handed out by UFC president Dana White and the social media reaction started to pour in. Check it out below:
Can we talk about poetic justice for Diaz?
Never seen anything quite like this.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) September 9, 2022
Nate Diaz vs. Tony Ferguson is the EPITOME of the People’s Main Event #UFC279
— Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) September 9, 2022
I’m glad to see Chimaev’s “medical issue” has been resolved and that he is now healthy and able to fight on Saturday. C’mon now… #UFC279 https://t.co/N66rEHt9UR
— Trent Reinsmith (@TrentReinsmith) September 9, 2022
What Dana White and his staff pulled off saving this card was nearly impossible. I don’t think there’s any other promoter in any other combat sport anywhere which could have saved this show. Amazing work. #UFC279
— Kevin Iole (@KevinI) September 9, 2022
Fight game is wild https://t.co/tWAM1P1ksY
— Jeff Molina (@jmolina_125) September 9, 2022
Let’s gooo we got a fight card!! Big respect to all the fighters willing to shuffle up the opponents…. fighters fight!!!
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) September 9, 2022
Better fight card honestly #UFC279
— Johnny Muñoz (@KidKvenbo) September 9, 2022
Maybe khazmat is just a big advocate for fighter pay because he got everyone a raise
— Cody Brundage (@CodyBrundage185) September 9, 2022
Nate Diaz vs T Ferg & Chimaev vs. Holland . Both 5 rounders . This got weirdly good , real fast ! #UFC279
— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) September 9, 2022
Card may be better, that is why the @ufc is the best fight company in the game. In hours not only is the card better but matchups are real even! Gonna be a fun night! #UFC279 pic.twitter.com/7Rw1Dq9Yd0
— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) September 9, 2022
Still awaiting word on Li Jingliang’s blue custom suit and how it factors in. #UFC279
— Brendan Fitzgerald (@BrendanFitzTV) September 9, 2022
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+ “Prelims” matches at 6 p.m. ET as well as the remaining undercard balance on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET by clicking HERE. That’s followed by the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV with live results and play-by-play action RIGHT HERE.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC 279 news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the complete UFC 279 fight card and PPV lineup click here.