UFC 279
| Company type | Mixed martial arts event |
|---|---|
| Industry | Sports entertainment |
| Founded | September 10, 2022 |
| Headquarters | Paradise, Nevada , United States |
Area served | United States |
UFC 279: Diaz vs. Ferguson was a mixed martial arts event organized by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on September 10, 2022, held at the T-Mobile Arena located in Paradise, Nevada, within the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United States.
Background
Originally, the promotion intended to feature a UFC Bantamweight Championship contest between former titleholder Aljamain Sterling and two-time former champion T.J. Dillashaw as the main attraction; however, this bout was postponed to UFC 280.
A welterweight headline fight between Khamzat Chimaev and Nate Diaz, who is a previous lightweight title contender and winner of The Ultimate Fighter 5, was arranged but subsequently canceled after Chimaev failed to make weight by 7.5 pounds.
The UFC then rearranged the lineup as follows:
- Nate Diaz was matched against Tony Ferguson, a former interim Lightweight Champion and victor of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Lesnar vs. Team dos Santos. Ferguson had initially been set to compete with Li Jingliang.
- Chimaev was paired with Kevin Holland, who had been slated to face Daniel Rodriguez at a 180-pound catchweight; this bout was extended to five rounds without imposing a penalty on Chimaev.
- The fight between Rodriguez and Jingliang was rescheduled for a 180-pound catchweight.
Several fights originally planned for this event—including lightweight bouts Trey Ogden vs. Daniel Zellhuber, Nikolas Motta vs. Cameron VanCamp, and welterweight Louis Cosce vs. Trevin Giles—were deferred to UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Song.
A women's strawweight matchup between Hannah Cifers and Melissa Martinez saw Cifers withdraw for undisclosed reasons and replaced by Elise Reed.
A middleweight contest between Jamie Pickett and Denis Tiuliulin was transferred from UFC on ESPN: dos Anjos vs. Fiziev due to Tiuliulin's injury.
The heavyweight clash featuring Shamil Abdurakhimov versus Jailton Almeida changed when Abdurakhimov withdrew because of visa complications; Anton Turkalj stepped in, with the fight set at a 220-pound catchweight.
The customary pre-fight press conference was abruptly ended after backstage confrontations involving Chimaev, Holland, Diaz, and others led UFC President Dana White to cancel the session "for everybody's safety." Subsequently, the Nevada Athletic Commission initiated an investigation into the incident for potential disciplinary measures.
During weigh-ins, alongside Chimaev’s weight miss, featherweight Hakeem Dawodu (149.5 lbs) and heavyweight Chris Barnett (267.5 lbs) also failed to make weight. Their fights proceeded at catchweight with penalties amounting to 30% and 20% of their purses respectively, awarded to their opponents Julian Erosa and Jake Collier. Additionally, a women's bantamweight bout between Irene Aldana and Macy Chiasson was contested at a mutually agreed 140-pound catchweight.
Results
{{MMAevent bout |Middleweight |Denis Tiuliulin |def. |Jamie Pickett |TKO (knee and punches) |2 |4:52 |} }
{{MMAevent bout |Bantamweight |Alateng Heili |def. |Chad Anheliger |Decision (unanimous) (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) |} } {{MMAevent bout |Women's Strawweight |Elise Reed |def. |Melissa Martinez |{ Decision (unanimous) (29–28, 29–28, 29–28) |} 3 |} 5:00|} |} {{MMAevent bout |} Welterweight|} Yohan Lainesse|} def.} Darian Weeks|} Decision (split) (29–28, 28–29, 29–28)} 3} 5:00} |}
Bonus Awards
A $50,000 bonus was granted to the following fighters:
- Fight of the Night: No bonus was distributed.
- Performance of the Night: Nate Diaz, Irene Aldana, Johnny Walker, and Jailton Almeida