Nate Diaz walks towards the Octagon ahead of his UFC 279 headliner with Tony Ferguson. | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Nate Diaz admits he felt pressure ahead of his UFC 279 headliner with Tony Ferguson.
Nate Diaz came out victorious in his final UFC fight against Tony Ferguson at UFC 279. The 37-year-old got the job done in round four, coincidentally with 2:09 left on the clock.
Nate Diaz really submitted Tony with 2:09 on the clock pic.twitter.com/c8zxUPmAFF
— Left Hook Club (@lefthookclub) September 11, 2022
During a backstage conversation with ESPN’s Megan Olivi after the fight, Diaz admitted feeling pressure from the sudden opponent change. And according to him, it’s because of a “new mission” he’d begun to take on at this stage of his career.
“All of them,” said Diaz when asked about the challenges he faced against Ferguson. “Because he’s been around and he had the advantage of not having the pressure. He had the pressure off of him that he didn’t have to win. He wasn’t ready for a five-round fight.
“And then I had the pressure on that this is the motherf—ng… My main goal, especially with Khamzat, was to come out and not get any more cuts on my face. I’m done with that. I don’t want to be cut anymore, and it’s a new mission that I’ve never had before in the past.
“And then, they switch it to this guy who’s most likely in the UFC to cut you. I had that pressure on me.”
The two fighters had shown nothing but respect towards each other through the build-up. Diaz continued to give props to his opponent during the post-fight presser.
“He’s been around a long time and fighting a lot of people, putting on a lot of good performances. Putting on a lot of f—ng crazy fights, took a lot of damage,” Diaz said of Ferguson.
“He put on enough wars, he can do whatever the f—k he wants. It’s respect, and I like anybody who could have a career that long. Especially in the UFC with the toughest fighters in the world, that’s the hardest job in the world. That guy should be a hundred millionaire.”
Diaz (now 21-13) also took home a $ 50K bonus for Performance of the Night.
Dana White during the canceled UFC 279 pre-fight presser on Thursday. | Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Dana White responds to the “lunatics on the internet” who apparently said that the UFC 279 presser brawl was staged.
Moments before the UFC 279 pre-fight presser on Thursday, a backstage fracas ensued between Kevin Holland, Khamzat Chimaev, and members of team Nate Diaz. The event was called off, as a result, a rare moment for such a large-scale event.
The UFC and ESPN later released some footage of the said incident, prompting fan theories that the entire thing could’ve been staged. UFC president Dana White is aware of these “conspiracies,” which he addressed during the post-fight presser.
“If you’re dancing around the question that there was some conspiracy theory that… there’s some f—ng lunatics on the internet that think that this was all staged and planned and whatever,” White told reporters.
“If you think that the crazy dudes that we had here this week could be orchestrated into something that would be… you’re literally out of your mind.”
White says the last-minute shake-ups didn’t affect their box office sales at all.
“Not only was not one ticket refunded, the day that all the craziness was going on, but we also sold 250 tickets that day. When we didn’t even know what was gonna happen or how it was gonna go.”
As White announced at the beginning of his media scrum, UFC 279 is their 25th consecutive sell-out event with a gate of $ 5.67 million.
Join us today on Bloody Elbow for live results, discussion, round scoring, and play-by-play as UFC 279 from Las Vegas, Nevada.
Today’s card has undergone a major shakeup in the last 36 hours. Instead of a main event bout between undefeated Khamzat Chimaev and Nate Diaz, we are now getting a different fight due to Chimaev’s brutal weight miss. The new headliner will see Diaz take on veteran Tony Ferguson in a five-round welterweight matchup. The co-main will feature Chimaev taking on Kevin Holland, also in a five-rounder. This left Li Jingliang to tangle with Daniel Rodriguez.
This post will cover the preliminary card. The featured bout on the prelims comes at a catchweight with Hakeem Dawodu (who missed weight) meeting Julian Erosa. The main card and main event will be covered in separate posts.
UFC 279 is a standard PPV. There are four early preliminary card fights, which should kick off around 6pm ET/3pm PT. Those will air on big ESPN, ESPN+, and UFC Fight Pass. Things will stay on ESPN/ESPN+ for four more fights at 8pm ET/5pm PT, and then we’ll go over to ESPN+ PPV at 10pm ET/7pm PT as per the norm.
Khamzat Chimaev is favored to finish Kevin Holland in the UFC 279 co-main event | Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Check out the betting odds for UFC 279, which favor Tony Ferguson over Nate Diaz, and Khamzat Chimaev over Kevin Holland.
Despite all of the chaos that transpired during fight week, tonight’s UFC 279 show will still be happening from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the main event we’ve got Tony Ferguson vs. Nate Diaz, with Khamzat Chimaev vs. Kevin Holland gracing the co-main — and both bouts will be five-rounds. Since so much matchup shuffling has gone on since our midweek odds post, we have a whole new set of betting lines to bring you.
Yesterday we discovered that Tony Ferguson was a small -157 favorite over a +137 underdog in Nate Diaz. Since then, this line has shriveled up a little bit, with T-Ferg now trending at -140, and Diaz posted up at +120. The odds that this match is even taking place was probably a million to one, however, the mma gods have spoken!
The oddsmakers have no idea whether or not this makeshift main event will be going the distance or not, as the prop bets ‘Fight doesn’t go to decision’ and ‘Fight goes to decision’ are both sporting a moneyline of -110.
For the UFC 279 co-main event, Khamzat Chimaev is listed as a -540 favorite, with Kevin Holland trailblazing at a large underdog position of +420. Although this one is scheduled for 25-minutes, the bookies are expecting this one to not need any judges. The proposition ‘Fight doesn’t go to decision’ holds a sizable favored tick of -330, with a +225 comeback on the ‘Fight goes to decision’ option.
The oddsmakers also have a hunch that Khamzat will be getting that finish, with ‘Chimaev wins inside distance’ being offered up at favored line of -190. The ‘Holland wins inside distance’ wager has been assessed at a huge underdog value of +500.
It should also be noted that the rearranging of bouts also produced somewhat of a freak show fight as Jingliang Li, who weighed in at welterweight, against Daniel Rodriguez, who weighed in for a 180-pound catchweight tilt. Despite the size discrepancy, Rodriguez is only on deck as a -155 betting favorite here, with Jingliang being suited with a dog tag of +135.
Check out the UFC 279 betting odds, courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook:
For an in-depth breakdown of each UFC 279 scrap, before the shuffling around of matches, check out The MMA Vivisection with Bloody Elbow’s own Zane Simon and Connor Ruebusch. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to stay up to date with all of our live video content. Stay glued to Bloody Elbow for all of your event coverage including play-by-play, results, highlights, and more! Happy hunting!
Check out the Bloody Elbow staff’s picks and predictions for UFC 279.
UFC 279 goes live from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas this Saturday night, with a fight card that has been shuffled at the last second due to Khamzat Chimaev’s epic miss on the scales.
We started with Chimaev vs. Nate Diaz, Tony Ferguson vs. Li Jingliang and Kevin Holland vs. Daniel Rodriguez. What we’re left with is Chimaev vs. Holland, Diaz vs. Ferguson and Li vs. Rodriguez. All bangers.
And the BE staff believe Diaz and Chimaev will both come out victorious tonight. With just me* picking Ferguson to upset Diaz’s UFC swansong ad only Stephie backing Holland to derail Chimaev. Opinion is more split on the third shuffled fight with equal picks being handed out to Li and Rodriguez.
Check out our picks below for all the fights.
*Reminder: I’m making my picks based solely on fighter’s past winning percentages as an experiment to see who effective that nugget of data is at predicting fight outcomes. More on that here. You can see the data here. This method of picking fights is currently 9-3.
Nate Diaz vs. Tony Ferguson
Anton Tabuena: This is hard to pick, which only makes me happier that we don’t have those two original bouts that clearly would’ve left both veterans badly outgunned. This should’ve been the original match up all along (I predict dees tings), and I’m glad the UFC’s arm was twisted not only to book what we all wanted, but to also pay them better. As for the actual match up, there’s so many intangibles and question marks about each fighter right now, including Diaz not looking in the best of shape and Ferguson only preparing for three rounds. They’re not in their prime anymore, but it should still be a pretty fun contest between two well loved veterans regardless. I expect it to go back and forth, with Diaz likely getting tagged with some early shots, but still being durable enough to make things interesting. I’m interested in seeing who wins that battle of attrition and when, but I have a feeling that Diaz’s volume and pace will get him a hard fought win for the perfect send off. Nate Diaz by late TKO.
Zane Simon: I guess I might pick Nate Diaz here? I dunno. Nothing about Tony Ferguson’s jump up to 170 lbs feels good to me. He’s a guy who has done things his own way forever and has been left grasping at straws late in his career as he tries to end this awful slump. He actually looked better in the Chandler fight than he had in a while, but got sparked in the process. Diaz’s lack of motivation has been a big topic of fight week, and he himself has had trouble pulling the trigger like he used to, but he’s still durable and dangerous for all five rounds. I guess I just trust that a tiny bit more right now. Nate Diaz by TKO, round 4.
Tim Bissell: Ok, let’s do this again. Diaz vs. Ferguson is a more interesting match-up to me personally than what was previously on offer. This is one of those where you can’t believe it hasn’t happened already. I’m picking Ferguson here to continue to test my thesis on whether fighters with the best UFC win percentage win a given fight. Ferguson, despite his wretched 0-4 run has the better pedigree in the UFC when it comes to getting his hand raised. For all his popularity and highlight moments, Diaz hasn’t done a great job of securing wins in the Octagon. His UFC win percentage is a very average .577. Ferguson has a pretty decent .750 (buoyed by the 12-fight win streak he had prior to his loss to Justin Gaethje). When you look at their wp for overall MMA fights, Ferguson still has the edge. His .781 well beats Diaz’s .606. Tony Ferguson via decision.
Anton Tabuena: Is Chimaev injured? Or did he really just not care about the Diaz fight? Either way, everything was already set up and handed to him on a silver platter, but Chimaev just completely fumbled the bag on his biggest stage. He should still be the favorite to win this, but it’s a tougher fight that won’t do much for his career. Holland has shown improvements to his wrestling, especially after dropping down to 170, but Chimaev basically came in as a middleweight and also has that same grappling and strength of those other 185’ers that beat him. Holland’s best bet is to try to survive until the later rounds, and hope Chimaev slows down. It’s an uphill battle though, and if Chimaev shows up close to his normal form, he should be able to dominate on the mat. Khamzat Chimaev by TKO.
Zane Simon: The players may have changed but the rules are still just the same. Holland has been too big to boss around on the mats down at 170, and he’s clearly put a lot of work into improving his wrestling game after some ugly decision losses. But I can’t pretend any of that makes me feel like he can hang with Chimaev on the mats. Too technical, too strong, too persistent. Khamzat Chimaev via TKO, round 2.
Tim Bissell: Chimaev has an undefeated record, so I’m forced to pick him here. Numbers wise Holland is a lot closer to Chimaev in winning percentage than Diaz was. Trailblazer holds an impressive .786 over 15 contests (a remarkable number of fights to have had in such a short stint in the UFC). Without looking at the numbers, it feels pretty difficult to pick Holland here. He’s shown a lot of struggles against wrestlers so far in his MMA career and Chimaev seems to have better MMA-wrestling than anyone he’s ever faced. So I think it could be a long night for the American. Khamzat Chimaev via decision.
Anton Tabuena: Li is the real gangster of UFC 279. Everyone kept messing with his plans all week, but he still took it in stride and stepped up to face a guy 10 lbs heavier. It’s a tough match up, especially compared to the one he originally hard, but I think he can still get the job done. Hopefully he gets a chance to show off that fancy suit in the post-fight presser. Li Jingliang by decision.
Zane Simon: This may be the toughest of the newly booked bouts for me to figure. Both D-Rod and Li favor a busy, boxing approach, and while both can work in volume, I think the ‘Leech’ is just a little bit better at picking up momentum behind his creative combinations. But, he’s also struggled a lot with reasonably high level fighters that can just hang in with him and keep it difficult. Rodriguez has the kind of power and output to very definitely do that. And he didn’t have to go through half as brutal a weight cut during fight week. I’ll favor D-Rod here to steal early momentum and keep it long enough to get the decision win. Daniel Rodriguez by decision.
Tim Bissell: This is a really interesting fight, even if it’s not the jump up in competition Rodriguez would have been hoping for. I think we can all agree that it’s great that both these men weren’t left out in the cold thanks to the debacles—at both the press conference and weigh-ins—that neither of them played any part in. Rodriguez has a fantastic wp at .875, earned off eight UFC appearances, so he gets the pick. Li’s wp is a less stellar .688, which he got over 16 performances. There is a large disparity in UFC fights between both men and Li has fought stiffer opposition with losses coming to Chimaev, Neil Magny and Jake Matthews. That would prevent me from falling too in love with what the algorithm is going for here. Daniel Rodriguez by decision.
Tim Bissell: Despite being in the UFC for two years longer than Chiasson, Aldana only has two more UFC fights than her opponent. This is due to some long injury lay-offs and rotten luck with fight cancellations. When she has gotten into the cage she’s been decent, albeit not spectacular — winning 60% of her contests. The former TUF winner Chiasson was won 75% of her UFC fights. Chiasson has also had more success in her overall MMA career than Aldana. So this pick goes for the more active Chiasson. Macy Chiasson via decision
Victor Rodriguez: Macy should have a size and strength advantage, and her grappling doesn’t get enough credit. Aldana has a very smooth striking game and better overall flow in terms of controlling distance and pace. Macy might find herself flustered here, and I expect Aldana’s striking to add up and overwhelm Chiasson. Irene Aldana by decision.
Zane Simon: Even when Chiasson is doing well, she seems to push herself into danger. For such a long and lanky fighter, she rarely stays at range. And if a bout is going to become a brutal war of attrition, she often seems to be the one that starts to flag and look for breathing room. Aldana can still be a bit predictable on her combinations, but in a fight like this, predictability is good. Irene Aldana via TKO, round 3.
Anton Tabuena: Cutelaba badly needs a win, but I’m not too confident about picking Walker nowadays. He just hasn’t looked great, he has taken a lot of damage, and his coaching has him changing styles and even negating the few things going well for him. Ion Cutelaba by KO.
Tim Bissell: This should be fun. Neither Walker nor Cutelaba seem to mind taking one in order to land one (although, Walker showed a much more tepid approach in previous bouts with Thiago Santos and Jamahal Hill). This approach has lead to win records that are close to 50-50 for both men. Walker’s is marginally better than Cutelaba’s at .556, though. Cutelaba has a losing record in the Octagon leading to a .418 wp (which is one of the worst records on the card considering he has 12 fights in the promotion). Pick is for Walker here, who could win with something epic/strange or by eeking it out with that recently spotted more patient approach. Johnny Walker via decision
Victor Rodriguez: I say this quite often, but I don’t trust guys that go into SBG Ireland after they’re somewhat established. No disrespect to them, I just don’t see the improvements in their game that they seek. But after landing there, Walker isn’t as reckless as before. Cutelaba can do what Corey Anderson did to press hard and fast early before Walker finds his footing, which may be a good idea to try here. But given Walker’s nefound patience and overall MMA game being slightly more expanded, he might actually work with a deeper toolset and use that same patience to outwork Cutelaba. Both guys hit hard and can be put away in just the same order. That’s what makes this dicey. I’ll go with the guy that has a more controlled pace. Johnny Walker by decision.
Zane Simon: Both men live and die by the sword, but lately, Walker seems to have found himself in a moment of crisis. He’s paid the price for his past wild aggression so many times now that he no longer looks like he wants to pull the trigger the way he used to. Cutelaba has suffered his share of setbacks as well, but it’s never taken his confidence away in the cage. In a battle of glass cannons, I’ll take the guy that I can trust more to show up looking to engage in a fire fight. Ion Cutelaba via KO, round 2.
Tim Bissell: Dawodu has won more in the UFC and outside of it than Erosa, given him one of the highest wp advantages on the card (.205). So my pick is for him to follow up on his decision win over Michael Trizano with another addition to his W column. Hakeem Dawodu via decision
Victor Rodriguez: I’ve been a fan of Dawodu since his stint in World Series of Fighting, and his overall game has improved since his UFC debut. He’s demonstrated finding a better rhythm, defending against takedowns and working competently while there. That confidence allows him to work with more freedom while standing, and he’s really, really good in the standup department. Hakeem Dawodu by TKO.
Zane Simon: Both men love to throw in volume, but when Dawodu lets his hands go, he tends to shut down the offense his opponent is throwing back at him. The same can’t be said for Erosa, whose best fights tend to look like all out wars of attrition. Hakeem Dawodu via decision.
Anton Tabuena: He’s a pretty big underdog, but maybe the oddsmakers have it wrong because I have it on good authority that Anton T’s are pretty awesome. Anton Turkalj by flying darce choke.
Tim Bissell: Malhadinho has looked great while going 3-0 in the UFC (all finishes). His opponentTurkalj is also undefeated in the UFC, having won his debut on the Contender Series earlier this year. With them being tied with 1.000 wp, we choose the fighter who has the most UFC fights on their record. That would be the Brazilian. Jailton Almeida via submission
Zane Simon: On DWCS Turkalj told commentators that he wouldn’t describe his fighting style, because it had to be seen and experienced. Then he went full swing-n-cling for 3 rounds and bored the pants off everyone. If that’s all he’s bringing to the table, then Almeida should tear him to pieces. Jailton Almeida via submission, round 1.
Staff picking Almeida: Bissell, Stephie, Dayne, Victor, Zane, Kristen Staff picking Turkalj: Anton
Denis Tiuliulin vs. Jamie Pickett
Tim Bissell: Tiuliulin is 0-1 since joining the UFC, so Pickett’s less than stellar .375 wp over 8 UFC contests is enough to get the pick here. When looking at their whole MMA careers, Pickett has the slimmest of wp advantages over Tiuliulin (.025). Jamie Pickett by decision
Zane Simon: Tiuliulin is a bit of a mess. An action-first striker who loves to brawl in the pocket and doesn’t have a lot of takedown defense (or any other kind of defense). But, he does have a lot of confidence. And I can’t say the same for Pickett, who all too often looks like he has to be talked into having a fight with someone. Considering that he’s no kind of submission ace either, I’ll take Tiuliulin to fight his way through some bad spots to do more damage and land more shots. Denis Tiuliulin via decision.
Tim Bissell: Collier has the wp edge in UFC bouts, with Barnett having only fought in the Octagon three times to date. Barnett has a marginally better wp in total MMA fights, though. The method we are testing considers UFC records first and foremost so Collier gets the nod here. Jake Collier by TKO
Victor Rodriguez: BIG CHUNGUS HOURS, BABY. Yeah, I have nothing against Collier, but you can’t expect me to pick against the guy with the sick Taekwondo skills that sent Gian Villante to hunt dinosaurs in Gondwanaland. Chris Barnett by KO.
Zane Simon: I know Barnett has been going through some stuff lately, and that he’s capable of a lot more creative wildness than Collier. But his game is just still awfully incomplete for me to really trust picking him against most heavyweight opposition right now. Jake Collier via TKO, round 3.
Tim Bissell: A match-up like this doesn’t really mesh what we’re testing here. Danyelle Wolf has extensive boxing experience but her only pro MMA action is the one victory on the Contender Series. This means her UFC and MMA wp is a perfect 1.000. The more experienced Dumont has won 60% of her UFC contests (77% of all contests), but her experience isn’t taken into consideration with this picking method. Let’s see if the UFC’s gamble on Wolf pays off here. Danyelle Wolf by TKO.
Victor Rodriguez: Norma’s tough and can take a hit, but I have to wonder how she’ll deal with Wolf’s striking and better athleticism. While it’s still a very winnable fight for Dumont, I’m going with Wolf. Danyelle Wolf by decision.
Zane Simon: Y’all trippin’. If Dumont loses this fight then she probably shouldn’t be fighting at all. Norma Dumont via TKO, round 1.
Staff picking Dumont: Stephie, Dayne, Anton, Zane, Kristen Staff picking Wolf: Bissell, Victor
Chad Anheliger vs. Alatengheili
Tim Bissell: The undefeated Canadian Anheliger (2-0 UFC) gets the nod over ‘The Mongolian Knight’ whose only blemishes in the Octagon are a draw to Gustavo Lopez and a loss to Casey Kenney. Chad Anheliger via TKO
Zane Simon: Seems like a really bad booking. Heili went tooth and nail with Casey Kenney, and has only looked like a more reliable power puncher in the time since. Anheliger is a fun brawler who depends on being able to out-last his opposition. At some point that should stop giving returns. My guess is that point is here. Alatengheili via KO, round 1.
Staff picking Anheliger: Bissell, Stephie, Victor Staff picking Alatengheili: Dayne, Anton, Zane, Kristen
Melissa Martinez vs. Elise Reed
Tim Bissell: With this method the debutantes are always faded against a fighter with UFC experience (even when that experience is minuscule). Elise Reed by decision.
Victor Rodriguez: Mely is a calculated striker with clean and crisp combinations that will ruin you the moment you take the bait. Reed can get in her face and neutralize her weapons, but there’s some levels here she may not be ready for. Melissa Martinez by TKO.
Zane Simon: Could be a very messy fight. Both women love to trade hard single shots from distance. Martinez’ form isn’t as clean, but she’s the busier of the two. Still, I think she gives Reed a whole lot of the kind of fight Reed can win via superior firepower. Elise Reed via decision.
Staff picking Martinez: Anton, Victor Staff picking Reed: Bissell, Stephie, Dayne, Zane, Kristen
Darian Weeks vs. Yohan Lainesse
Tim Bissell: Weeks is still looking for his first UFC win in two appearances. Lainesse is 1-1. So the model is picking the ‘White Lion’ to win here. Yohan Lainesse via decision
Zane Simon: I like a lot of the ideas Weeks has, but he has yet to marry them together into a style that lets him win rounds. He’s mindful of his defense, clean in his offense, but if his opponent can bring something back to him and not get overwhelmed, he doesn’t seem willing to take the chances he needs to win. Lainesse, on the other hand, is just out there to slang power at people and get knockouts. Not sure he’ll finish Weeks, but I’ll take him to deliver the better shots over three rounds. Yohan Lainesse via decision.
Staff picking Weeks: Dayne, Anton Staff picking Lainesse: Bissell, Stephie, Victor, Zane, Kristen
Honourable mention: In his final (?) staff picks entry Mookie went 8-4.
And because it seems like a shame to just delete these, here are the staff’s picks for the three original match-ups:
Khamzat Chimaev vs. Nate Diaz
Anton Tabuena: This is such a terrible style match up for Diaz, and blatantly set up to try and ruin his value as he leaves the UFC. They’ve already earned millions upon millions on Diaz’s name, and this is how they give him a send off? Tony Ferguson is fighting on the same card. That was the fight to make. They really didn’t have to do this to Diaz, and that’s why I will be rooting for chaos and hoping he gets to pull another rabbit out of his hat. I just don’t think it’s very likely. Khamzat Chimaev by TKO.
Tim Bissell: Chimaev is obviously undefeated so to test my theory I have to pick him against anyone who has a loss on their record. Many others will be picking ‘Borz’ for a variety of other—and perhaps more valid—reasons. In this match-up Chimaev’s perfect winning percentage (wp) is .423 higher than Diaz (that’s a lot). Though he’s rarely out of a fight, Diaz has lost his fair share in the UFC, earning him a below average wp of .578. I obviously see Chimaev winning the fight, but think Diaz will be able to tough it out over five rounds and maybe even hurt Chimaev in the process (that’s if Diaz doesn’t tap the canvas one second into the fight and then flip off Dana White before leaving for good). Khamzat Chimaev via decision
Victor Rodriguez: Bruh. This sucks so much. It’s so transparent, and even Chimaev has agreed that he absolutely doesn’t need this fight. And here’s the thing for me: Anton and Tim made excellent points above, points that I agree with. But if you’ve been around here long enough, you understand that there are times I’m the kind of animal that refuses to follow any other instinct than pure and unrestrained goddamn spite.
No, there’s no scientific analysis of any sort here. I just want Nate to win. I will pick him to win as well, because the world is shit. Here we have a multi-billion dollar company that nickel and dimes literally anyone that comes in through the door and they’re doing Nate this dirty on his way out for having the audacity to call them out on their practices and refusing to be tied down to a long-term deal that didn’t benefit him. Nate Diaz, a man that came from the Ultimate Fighter, did so much of what was asked of him, and yet he gets the honor of being a sacrificial lamb to a rising talent that is on paper the most laughable mismatch in recent history at best. And all for what? To add another notch on Chimaev’s belt? A man that isn’t widely popular with MMA fandom taking out a man that is for better or for worse one of the most beloved figures in the sport? That’s gonna get him over with fans? And yes, Nate is older and more limited, so a win for Chimaev doesn’t even get him a bump in reputation. Marketing genius at work over here, gotta love it. Jesus.
To echo Trent Reinsmith’s sentiment, a win for Nate on the way out would be utter pandemonium. If he wins, he leaves with his head held high and the chance to finally be free from his contractual shackles. Besides, he gets the last laugh over the UFC. What are they gonna do, run it back? By the time they think of ways to do that, Nate’s already in Rosarito smoking Gelato with some Venezuelan girls, so good luck with that shit.
Nate’s been a soldier, despite some of my past misgivings about him. But a company that continues to accrue more power and revenue than ever with literally no signs of slowing down or stopping can take this small hit to their reputations and egos. They didn’t have to make this fight, but they did. And now we’re here. I’ve never wanted Nate to win as bad as I do now, and that’s the horse I’m going with. Nate Diaz by whatever.
Zane Simon: If the fight even happens it’ll be an utter shitshow. Khamzat Chimaev via TKO, round 2.
Anton Tabuena: Like I said above, they’re both already fighting on the same card and Diaz vs Ferguson really was the fight to make. We should’ve had a fun main event between two well loved veterans, but instead we’ll mostly likely just get two depressing outcomes. I guess the only good outcome is that at least Li will finally get to show off that nice suit on the post-fight presser. Li Jingliang by TKO.
Tim Bissell: Tony Ferguson has had a nightmarish run as of late, losing four in a row with the last one coming in devastating fashion. Historically, he’s been the better fighter than Li Jingliang. And the method I’m testing for picking fights right now is all about a fighter’s whole body of work, not the most recent performances. Ferguson holds an impressive .750 wp in the UFC. That’s even more impressive considering he’s had 20 fights in the Octagon. Li’s wp is nothing to sniff at. He holds a .688 clip after 16 fights. When looking at both men’s entire MMA record, Ferguson still has a small lead over Li in wp. If Ferguson does win on Saturday, it would mean that his quality of a fighter remains despite his dip in form (against some of the toughest fighters on the planet right now). If that’s true, watch out welterweights. Tony Ferguson via submission
Victor Rodriguez: The tricky thing here is which Tony Ferguson shows up and how not having to cut the additional 15lbs affects Tony. Li can wrestle, but his style is more straightforward whereas Ferguson has different angles on his entries and can chain his attempts way better. If Chimaev can get him down, Ferguson might succeed there as well. But Tony can be cracked, and Li got that firepower. I want to have more faith in Tony, but I haven’t seen enough of what his training situation is like or what his overall health — especially as it pertains to mental health — is like to make any assessment that lead to him winning here. Li Jingliang by KO.
Zane Simon: A few years ago, this would have been a fascinating battle. Two men known for starting slow and picking up the pace with long, crafty boxing combinations as fights wear on. At his peak, Ferguson was far and away the more creative and iron-willed of the two men, but Jingliang’s size and style still would have made this a tough fight. Unfortunately, even at his best, Ferguson has always had to lean on his durability. And that appears to be failing him. Assuming this fight still happens, I got Li Jingliang via TKO, round 3.
Anton Tabuena: I know I’m beginning to sound like a broken record, but they could’ve easily just done Diaz vs Ferguson, Holland vs Chimaev, and Li vs Rodriguez instead. Jeezus. Anyway, I know this is at a weird catchweight, but Holland has looked good since dropping down, and I think it’s a great move for his career not having to fight massive dudes at 185 anymore. Holland by Decision.
Tim Bissell: Kevin Holland always brings the fun and sometimes he brings the weird, too. This combination has contributed to his impressive .787 wp over 16 UFC fights. However, Rodriguez—albeit with seven fights less on his record—holds a gaudy .875 wp, which is the highest wp on the card outside of the five undefeated fighters at the event (of which only Chimaev has more than three UFC fights under his belt). Rodriguez’s MMA wp is .122 higher than Holland’s, too. So my pick is for Rodriguez to extend his win streak to four fights and add another recognizable name to his list of victories. Daniel Rodriguez via decision
Victor Rodriguez: Holland’s been somewhat inconsistent to me, and while he’s got his range and slick boxing, Daniel can do a lot of damage in short order. Plus he can defend takedowns and has that modern MMA tendency of not wasting time on working from guard and immediately hustling to get back on his feet. Not sure what either guy’s cardio is gonna look like but I’m gonna go with the guy that can soak up a bit more damage and work better counters. Daniel Rodriguez by decision.
Zane Simon: A really, honestly intriguing matchup. Holland has the range and the creativity to bring a lot to Rodriguez. But, despite sometimes looking like a bit of a brawler, ‘D-Rod’ is one of the better, more consistent power punching counter-fighters in the welterweight division. He can push a great pace, never seems to get lost in the middle of action, and packs a whole lot of pop. Holland has the ability to create some big flashy moments, but I’ll take Rodriguez’s consistency and hard-headedness to get the job done. Daniel Rodriguez by decision.
Superstar Nate Diaz talks to correspondent Megan Olivi ahead of the UFC 279 ceremonial weigh-ins. | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Here’s superstar Nate Diaz doing Nate Diaz things in what could be his final pre-fight media appearance with the UFC.
True to the Diaz brother brand, the younger Nate has always taken on a devil-may-care approach in terms of self-marketing. And while it may not always sit well with the UFC brass, MMA fans all over have generally shown great appreciation for it.
The 37-year-old Diaz, who will now headline Saturday’s UFC 279 card against fellow OG Tony Ferguson, got to speak with correspondent Megan Olivi ahead of the ceremonial weigh-ins on Friday. In this short interview, he spoke about how “happy” he was about the major change since he never saw “little leaguer” Khamzat Chimaev as a worthy opponent.
But what wasn’t shown on the YouTube clip was Diaz’s comments about the UFC’s current shoe sponsor Project Rock, a partnership between Hollywood A-Lister Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and athletic brand Under Armour. The deal was signed in early 2022.
Fighters are reportedly not being paid to wear those shoes, and Diaz isn’t too thrilled about it.
Asked around and not only are fighters not going to get paid anything to wear the shoes, the UFC is apparently requiring fighters do interviews with Johnson’s media company Seven Bucks.
— John S. Nash (@heynottheface) September 1, 2022
What they didn’t show in the interview pic.twitter.com/QdpwmMkizn
— Mokoflama (@mokoflama) September 10, 2022
“These shoes f–ng suck,” Diaz said towards the end of the interview as he shows it on camera. “Look at these shoes, they made me put this shit on.
“F–k these shoes!”
UFC 279 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Claressa Shields v Savannah Marshall – Press Conference | Photo by Mikey Williams/Top Rank Inc via Getty Images
The monarch of 70 years passed away yesterday afternoon, causing boxing promotion BOXXER to postpone their upcoming card.
A matchup years in the making, the much anticipated bout between American multi-weight legend Claressa Shields and WBO Middleweight champion Savannah Marshall, will be postponed to October 15, 2022 following the death of Queen Elizabeth II. UK boxing promotion BOXXER made the announcement earlier today, releasing a tweet and extended statement on their website.
Official statement regarding #ShieldsMarshall
Read the full statement @ https://t.co/yt3WMVlLFj pic.twitter.com/SduzUDJYpM
— BOXXER (@boxxer) September 9, 2022
“This is a time of reflection, for our nation and obviously for the royal family,” boxing promoter Adam Smith said in a short post-cancellation interview. “Sport very much comes second.”
BOXXER follows the lead of the Premier League and official ruling from the British Board of Control in the cancellation, joining other UK entertainment companies in the respectful media silence. Smith and BOXXER promoter Ben Shalom both spoke on the ease of the decision, despite the numerous fighter’s weight cuts and financial investments in the event. Citing the event’s role as a celebration of women’s sport, the Queen’s death was implied to run counter to that theme.
“It’s been a torrid time for the fighters, but ultimately they’re all very respectful of the decision,’ Shalom said. “They’ve reacted extremely well in very difficult circumstances.” Shalom said that the O2 Arena gave them their earliest available opening with October 15, but attendees who already made hotel and travel arrangements will find little comfort in the new date.
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A post shared by BOXXER (@boxxer)
Social media was quickly set ablaze with scorn, users questioning the logic of the decision so close to the event when weighed against the fighters physical and mental efforts.
Shields and Marshall have offered words of support to the promotion, each tweeting out messages of understanding regarding the situation. “The country of the UK has took a huge loss of Queen Elizabeth & the country is mourning, the world is too,” said Shields.
What can I say…… I was 159 pounds today, I was mentally and physically ready for tomorrow. I’m sad about the fight being postponed but I’m a big girl & I understand! The country of the UK has took a huge loss of Queen Elizabeth & the country is mourning, the world is too. pic.twitter.com/YGORpeLdsG
— Claressa Gwoat Shields (@Claressashields) September 9, 2022
“I apologize to anyone who has lost money on travel/hotels. Thank you for the support ❤️,” read Marshall’s caption on Instagram. Marshal also took time to share a picture of the Queen on her Instagram Story.
Anticipated as one of the biggest cards in women’s boxing history, BOXXER Legacy- Shields/Marshal features an all-female lineup of former Olympians alongside the champion headliners. First facing as amateurs, Marshall handed Shields her first and so far only loss in her entire boxing career back at the 2012 AIBA Women’s World Championships.
Their rescheduled fight will put both the WBO Women’s Middleweight title and Shield’s shot at revenge on the line.
Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 273. | Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Chimaev and Holland got into it before the press conference for UFC 279.
No one was injured during one of the several altercations that happened backstage before the press conference for UFC 279, but someone did take a ‘boot in the chest’.
That is according to Andreas Michael, head coach of Khamzat Chimaev, who confirmed his fighter got into it with Kevin Holland and push kicked him. Once they were separated, another altercation happened, this time between Team Chimaev and Team Diaz.
“What happened was that, Khamzat went inside by himself, then it started with Kevin Holland,” said Michael on Instagram (H/T Cageside Press). “He gave him like a boot in the chest then they started whatever they’re doing, and then the Diaz crew came in and they started doing what they’re doing, but nobody got injured, thank God.
“We’re here to fight in the cage, not in the streets,” continued Michael. “50 to one type of things like that – sportsmen, that’s what we are, sportsmen. So let’s f—king be sportsmen and stop all this s—t. On Saturday, we got a fight coming up, and that’s the most important thing. So that’s about it. The truth must be spoken.”
It was reported that Chimaev confronted Holland over recent comments regarding his now-viral run-in with Paulo Costa and Jake Shields at the UFC Performance Institute. The ‘Trailblazer’ branded ‘Borz’ a ‘wannabe’ who only does ‘street s—t when the media is around,’ which is what set Chimaev off.
Though Chimaev and Holland continue to have run-ins, the Allstars Training Center coach said the likelihood of them sharing the Octagon are slim to none.
“Respect to everyone, we’re not here to fight anyone,” said Michael. “And no, Kevin is not gonna get a fight with Khamzat. All this goading and all these things are not going to work. Forget about that. The same with Paulo [Costa], they’re not gonna get a fight. That’s about it. We’re gonna fight against the champs and the guys that are over us, not under us. Finished, it’s done. That’s how it is. We climb. We don’t regress, we progress.”
UFC 279 goes down on Sat., Sept. 10 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Nate Diaz faces Khamzat Chimaev in the main event of UFC 279 | Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
A Nate Diaz win at UFC 279 would cause pandemonium – I’m here for that mayhem
I like chaos in sports. I enjoy when the status quo gets put on its head or deposited on its ass. I especially relish when the powers that be fail to get what the outcome they want.
With that, a Nate Diaz win in the main event of UFC 279 would be a wonderful outcome because it would bring a level of mayhem to the fight card — and to the sport itself — that is a delight to contemplate.
The UFC’s matchmaking of Chimaev vs Diaz was widely criticized when the promotion announced the fight. Former UFC title challenger Dan Hardy said, “It doesn’t feel like a fair fight. It feels like a very, very cruel thing to do to someone that is a legitimate legend. Because they’ve spoken out against the organization, they’re going to get executed live on TV. That’s kind of how it feels, and it makes me feel uncomfortable to think that’s the way it’s going to go down.”
Former two-division UFC champ and current UFC commentator Daniel Cormier also disapproved of the booking, saying, “ I think these guys are in different points of their careers right now, and I believe it’s a mismatch.”
Current UFC welterweight champion, Leon Edwards, who bested Diaz via decision in June 2021, thought the promotion could have done a better job in booking Diaz, “He’s done so much for the company and I wish they gave him a veteran, a nice fight to bow out to. To give an up-and-coming guy that’s had four or five fights in the UFC, and a wrestler guy as well – I think they f—ked up. They should’ve gave him a better fight,” said Edwards.
The reality of the situation is the UFC rarely gives veteran fighters a soft touch in their last fight with the promotion. When that fighter is leaving the UFC to explore free agency — which is what Diaz is doing — the UFC is almost certain to give that fighter the toughest fight it can and that’s what the UFC did with Diaz.
And that’s why I am hoping Diaz can pull off the upset win at UFC 279. It’s not because I have a specific fighter I’m rooting for on Saturday, but because I don’t want the promotion to get what it wants. In short, I want Diaz to bring pandemonium to the evening.
So, what if Diaz wins? What’s the fallout?
Chimaev, who was already the biggest loser of UFC 278 without even competing, will get pilloried by fair weather fans and likely face a precipitous fall in the official UFC rankings. Leon Edwards will likely forget about a potential rematch with Kamaru Usman and begin to work on convincing Diaz to stay with the UFC for one more fight — and a title fight at that. The UFC will probably send some employees out to secure an armored car it can load up with bags full of hundreds it can then drop on Diaz’s driveway like so much fake snow on Sunday morning. UFC president Dana White is liable to turn a shade of red that will have the folks at Pantone wondering if it should consider it for color of the year for 2023.
And Diaz? What will he do if he gets his hand raised?
Will he tell a gobsmacked Joe Rogan that he’s once again not surprised, raise two middle fingers to the air and walk out of T-Mobile Arena to celebrate somewhere in Las Vegas with the Nick Diaz Army? Will he name his price to stick around and fight Edwards for the title and then Conor McGregor after that in a trilogy bout? Will he head back home to Stockton and have every promotion interested in his services give their best pitch and make everyone await his next move? Will he just point and laugh at White and the UFC brass who so badly wanted to send him out of the promotion with an embarrassing defeat?
We all have an inkling of what will happen if Chimaev wins, that’s not the case with Diaz. We have no clue what will happen if he pulls off the seemingly unthinkable and defeats Chimaev.
And that’s why I want Diaz to win, because chaos and the Diaz brothers, well, they go hand in hand and we need one more trip down that road. For old time’s sake.
Photo by Amy Kaplan/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Dana White says “we weren’t prepared” for all that chaos.
If you haven’t heard by now, the UFC 279 pre-fight press-conference was cancelled after a massive backstage melee said to have involved about a hundred people. Twitter obviously had a field day reacting to the madness, but more details have since come in about the incident.
According to a report from MMA Fighting, Khamzat Chimaev initiated the incident after kicking Kevin Holland backstage. After that scuffle was settled and Holland went on stage, there was another incident between Chimaev and Nate Diaz’s camp that reportedly involved water bottles being thrown.
Dana White also confirmed that the first altercation was between Chimaev and Holland, before it started escalating with the others. He also says that among those scheduled for the press conference, four of the six fighters and their camps were involved.
“All hell broke loose,” White said after the incident. “We stopped it, but we didn’t do a good job of not letting it happen.
“Yeah [it was Khamzat Chimaev and Kevin Holland that started it],” White said. “There were multiple things going on at the same time. It wasn’t just one thing that erupted and it happened. There were multiple things going on at the same time.
“So there was security over there, there was no security over there,” White continued. “There was no security over there cause everybody was dealing with the other thing and once it all started erupting, it was just a complete s—t show.”
White says Tiki Ghosn, a former UFC fighter turned manager was also involved in trying to settle things down.
“If it wasn’t for Tiki, we would have been in trouble,” White said. “Tiki took a couple for the team and he’s not even on the team. Tiki took a couple of water bottles to the head, a couple slaps, kicks. Thanks Tiki.”
White says the next steps will involve making sure this won’t happen again.
“No (there won’t be fines). This is what we do,” White said. “This is the business that we’re in. This is the fight business. These things happen. What we’ll do is we look at how this happened today, why were we unprepared for this, why we were not able to manage this backstage better than we did, and we’ll be better next time.”
“When you know that you have guys that don’t like each other, you make sure that they’re isolated, you have plenty of security around,” White explained. “You know how Nate and Khamzat are, they could have some words and we have enough people here to deal with it.
“What we didn’t have enough people for was everybody to start fighting. When everybody starts fighting and there was more than just fighting going on that security was dealing with. We weren’t prepared.”
For what it’s worth, Holland reacted to the reports of Chimaev kicking him.
That’s weird I didn’t feel a thing ♂️@UFCStatsBot please update this as a failed attempt via Chimaev. https://t.co/mjX8Koqaak
— Kevin Holland (@Trailblaze2top) September 9, 2022
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