Where To Watch: UFC 279: Nate Diaz Vs. Tony Ferguson Tonight
Following a hectic week involving backstage altercations, a cancelled press conference, and a dramatic miss on the scales, UFC 279 fight day is finally here. Although, what we have been anticipating all week, a main event featuring the legendary Nate Diaz versus Khamzat Chimaev, will no longer be occurring due to Chimaev weighing in 7.5 pounds too heavy.
Instead, the UFC has decided to shuffle the final three bouts on the main card to match the weights more appropriately. This resulted in Tony Ferguson getting moved up to the main event to go five rounds with Diaz, which in some minds is the fight that should have been made in the first place.
Over the last 15 years, Nate Diaz (20-13) has become one of the most popular fighters that the world of MMA has ever seen. Since winning The Ultimate Fighter season 5 back in 2007, Diaz has gone on to defeat some of the toughest opponents the UFC has had to offer such as Donald Cerrone, Takanori Gomi, Anthony Pettis, and of course Connor McGregor who he dramatically submitted in 2016. As this is Diaz’s final fight on his UFC contract that has yet to be extended, many believe this will be the last time that we see the Stockton, California local inside the octagon.
Former interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson (25-7) also had a successful run on The Ultimate Fighter, winning season 13 in 2011. Since then, he has been an absolute star, earning wins over Josh Thompson, Rafael dos Anjos, and Kevin Lee. At this stage, he is looking to bounce back from a four-fight losing streak after run-ins with Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira, Beneil Dariush and Michael Chandler who knocked him out with a devastating head kick back in May.
Being a fellow veteran of the game, Ferguson expressed in an interview with Megan Olivi that he respects Nate Diaz as an athlete and likes to keep things cordial, as he does not need to hate someone to get inside the cage and get the job done. He went on to say that he is happy with the way his very structured camp went in the lead up to this fight, shouting out Snap Down City Academy, Jackson Wink, Black House MMA, and Freddie Roach at Wildcard Boxing.
With the last-minute card shuffle that has created a main event bout between two legends that most feel should have fought years ago, UFC 279 seems to have gotten even more exciting than originally planned. Especially considering this could very well be the final time we see Nate Diaz competing in the organization.
The main event we didn’t know we needed 👏@NateDiaz209 vs @TonyFergusonXT is closing tomorrow’s show!
[ #UFC279 | Tomorrow | 10pmET | Live on ESPN+ PPV: https://t.co/8uiusbcc5r ] pic.twitter.com/I3CApiUFE3
— UFC (@ufc) September 9, 2022
Following their backstage scuffle that resulted in Thursday’s press conference being cancelled, and a massive weigh in issue, Khamzat Chimaev will now take on Kevin Holland in a five round 180-pound catchweight bout to fulfill UFC 279’s co-main event.
Over a year of back & forth culminates with this 👀@KChimaev now faces @Trailblaze2Top TOMORROW NIGHT!
[ #UFC279 | Tomorrow | 10pmET | Live on ESPN+ PPV: https://t.co/8uiusbcc5r ] pic.twitter.com/fPDkyhlxA4
— UFC (@ufc) September 9, 2022
Here’s the fight card, where and when to watch:
Main card:
- Nate Diaz vs. Tony Ferguson
- Khamzat Chimaev vs. Kevin Holland
- Li Jingliang vs. Daniel Rodriguez
- Irene Aldana vs. Macy Chiasson
- Johnny Walker vs. Ion Cutelaba
Prelims:
- Hakeem Dawodu vs. Julian Erosa
- Jailton Almeida vs. Anton Turkalj
- Denis Tiuliulin vs. Jamie Pickett
- Jake Collier vs. Chris Barnett
Date: September 10
Time: Prelims 8 p.m. ET, Main card 10 p.m.
Stream: ESPN/ESPN+