Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has been working on the Nate Diaz vs. Khamzat Chimaev welterweight blockbuster for several months and it looks as if both fighters have finally agreed on both a date and location for their 170-pound headliner.
That’s according to UFC Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell, who told ESPN MMA correspondent Brett Okamoto that both fighters are committed to the UFC 279 pay-per-view (PPV) main event on Sept. 10 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
UFC 279 could mark the final appearance of Diaz, who continues to share his disdain for UFC business practices. As you might expect, promotion president Dana White does not share the Stockton slugger’s point of view on holding “hostages.”
As for Chimaev, a victory is unlikely to advance his position at 170 pounds, but it will at least keep him busy while welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and top contender Leon Edwards settle their differences at UFC 278 next month in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Diaz, who turned 37 back in April, dropped to 20-13 with a unanimous decision loss to the aforementioned Edwards at UFC 263 back in June 2021. It was the second straight loss for The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 5 champ, who’s now dropped three of his last four.
The 28 year-old Chimaev improved his undefeated record to 11-0 by outlasting former title challenger Gilbert Burns in their “Fight of the Night” war at UFC 273 last April. The victory over “Durinho” was enough to land “Borz” at No. 3 in the official welterweight rankings.
UFC 279 will also feature the featherweight showdown between Norma Dumont and Danielle Wolf. In addition, Combate Global veteran Melissa Martinez is expected to make her Octagon debut against strawweight slugger Elise Reed this September in “Sin City.”
Stay tuned for more UFC 279 fight card announcement in the coming weeks.