LAS VEGAS – As Friday ended, UFC 279’s main card was completely different from the one expected when the day began.
In an unprecedented turn of events, the top three battles set for Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena were all changed for Friday night, a chain reaction set off by the once iconic figure. Khamzat Chimaev 7.5 pounds missing weight. Nate DiazChimaev’s expected opponent in the main event, having refused to fight such a weightlifter, is quite understandable.
The UFC, led by business manager Hunter Campbell and president Dana White, scrambled to reshape the biggest fights until late afternoon local time. Final result? Diaz will now meet Tony Ferguson in the main event UFC 279 welterweight. In the co-main event, Chimaev will take on Kevin Holland at 180 pounds. Both matches will be five innings.
Diaz (20-13) is one of the most popular fighters on the UFC roster. The California native will be in the final fight of his UFC contract and has said this will be his last fight in the UFC, at least for now. Diaz, 37 years old, lost 3/4, but was almost knocked out Leon Edwards – who is currently the UFC welterweight champion – in his most recent fight in June 2021.
Ferguson (25-7) has fallen for four games in a row, most recently a knockout loss to Michael Chandler at UFC 274 in May. The California native is a former UFC interim lightweight champion. Ferguson, 38, won 12 straight fights from 2013 to 2019, taking the UFC lightweight record with Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Chimaev (11-0), a rising star, was a favorite in the match against Diaz and the main event was set to showcase his skills before he caused the drama by underweight too much. The 28-year-old Chechen fighter training in Sweden is leading 5-0 in the UFC with four finishes. Holland (23-7, 1 NC), a 29-year-old Texan tennis player, is unbeaten in three fights in a row.
Also on the card, Ferguson’s original rival, Li Jingliangwill meet Daniel Rodriguez, who was originally expected to face Holland. More, Irene Aldana and Macy Chiasson met in a 140-pound heavyweight match and Johnny Walker and Ion Cutelaba clash in a light-heavy battle.
Fighting: Catchweight (220 pounds): Jailton Almeida (16-2, -700) vs. Anton Turkalj (8-0, +500)
279 UFC results
Average grade: Denis Tiuliulin (11-6, 1-1 UFC) defeat. Jamie Pickett (13-8, 2-4 UFC) by TKO (Watch on ESPN+)
Tiuliulin earned his first UFC win with a win over Pickett. More will come from Vegas in a little while.
Catchweight: Chris Barnett (23-8, 2-2 UFC) loser. Jake Collier (13-8, 5-7 UFC) by TKO (Watch on ESPN+)
1:20
Chris Barnett is in ecstasy following his comeback win over Jake Collier at UFC 279.
It was a sloppy puncher, a bloody brawl between big bodies, with the heavier perverts finishing and celebrating with a sloppy flip.
Barnett was soon smashed, staggered by massive punches that bled his face, bulging and closing his left eye and gaping his mouth as if he’d just suffered a jaw injury. But he endured the penalty and turned the tide in Round 2, fending off Collier’s takedown attempt and securing the top spot on his own. Then he bounced big shots until the referee retorted at 2:24.
Then, Barnett does the front flip and does an epic post-war interview with the crowd chanting his name.
This is the most fun I’ve had in a long time. Well, Chris Barnett made it! # UFC279
– Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) September 11, 2022
Barnett, 36 and fighting in Tampa, Florida, has won two of his last three fights in the UFC. At Friday’s weigh-in, he became the second heavyweight in UFC history to slip the 266-pound limit; he surrendered 20% of his wallet to a match that ended in a title fight.
Yo this is crazy 🤯 it’s the return of the year!!!# UFC279
– Jamahal Hill (@JamahalH) September 11, 2022
Collier, 36, from Cuba, Missouri, has lost two games in a row.
After the victory, Barnett was taken to the hospital, according to UFC.
Women’s feather class: Norma Dumont (8-2, 4-2 UFC) lost. Wolf, Wolf Danyelle (1-1, 0-1 UFC) by unanimous decision (Watch on ESPN+)
She couldn’t get her first stoppage-time win in the UFC, but it was still a dominating victory.
Dumont knocked Wolf down by foot and hit her on the ground for a clear, unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26) at UFC 279 prelims.
Wolf was a boxer with some qualifications, but Dumont knocked her down several times and knocked her out twice in the second round. In the third round, Dumont knocked Wolf down, landing on the ground and smashing hard. At the time, Wolf was showing a spotlight over his right eye and was bleeding from his nose.
Dumont, 31, has won 4 of his last 5 matches. The 31-year-old Brazilian player had to go through a decisive defeat Macy Chiasson at UFC 274 in May. Wolf, 39, trained in California, is a rookie MMA fighter and former Golden Glove National Champion who earned his way to the UFC last year from Dana White’s Contender Series.
Men’s middleweight: Alatengheili (15-8-2, 4-1-1 UFC) lost. Chad Anheliger (12-6, 1-1 UFC) by unanimous decision (Watch on ESPN+)
Alatengheili showed strong offensive power and solid defense as he scored his second consecutive win inside the Octagon.
The 30-year-old from China knocked Anheliger twice in the first round with his right hand, leaving him bleeding in the second round, and continued to deliver more damaging punches and kicks throughout. All three judges gave him a 30-27 fight score, giving him another win after he was undefeated in two straight games.
Anheliger, 35 and from Calgary, Alberta, ended a 10-fight winning streak. However, he didn’t come down without a fight. Despite getting hurt early and losing for most of the match, he held his ground and traded with his opponents, launching several shots but never a single shot that made a difference. separate.
Straw weight: Elise Reed (6-2, 2-2 UFC, +145) lost. Melissa Martinez (7-1, 0-1 UFC) by unanimous decision (Watch on ESPN+)
Reed’s three late knocks made all the difference in a fight between two women who spent most of their 15 minutes in the cage exchanging impressions.
Reed, 29, from Princeton, New Jersey, appeared to have injured her upper left leg in the third round due to Martinez’s kicks. So Reed cleverly executed her grappling game to win (29-28, 29-28, 29-28), her second in the UFC.
Martinez, 25, from Mexico, entered his UFC debut undefeated.
Welterweight: Yohan Lainesse (9-1, 1-1 UFC) lost. Darian week (5-3, 0-3 UFC) by majority decision (Watch on ESPN+)
Lainesse used good footwork to get out of trouble and landed just enough to generate victory in the battle of two fighters looking for their first win in the UFC.
Both boxers have difficulty in attacking much. Weeks was the aggressor for most of the 15 minutes but was unable to do much on his elusive opponent. All three judges gave it a score of 29-28, of which two went to Lainesse.
Lainesse, 30, from Saint-Bruno, Quebec, Canada, suffered the first defeat of his career on his Octagon debut in April. After Weeks’ original opponent dropped out, he briefly beat the matchup.
Weeks, 28, from Sedalia, Missouri, lost all three Octagons after coming to the UFC undefeated.
Still to come:
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Welterweight: Nate Diaz (21-13, 15-11 UFC, +105) vs Tony Ferguson (26-7, 15-5 UFC, -125)
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Catchweight (180 pounds): Khamzat Chimaev (11-0, 5-0 UFC, -550) vs. Kevin Holland (23-7 1 NC, 10-4 1 NC UFC, +400)
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Catchweight (180 pounds): Li Jingliang (19-7, 11-5 UFC, +130) vs. Daniel Rodriguez (16-2, 6-1 UFC, -155)
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Women’s catch (140 pounds): Irene Aldana (13-6, 6-4 UFC, -180) vs. Macy Chiasson (9-2, 6-2 UFC, +155)
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Light heavy: Johnny Walker (18-7, 4-4 UFC +180) vs. Ion Cutelaba (16-7-1 1 NC, 5-6-1 UFC, -220)
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Men’s feather class: Hakeem Dawodu (13-2-1, 6-2 UFC, -220) vs. Julian Erosa (27-10, 5-5 UFC, +180)
