UFC 279: Chimaev vs. Diaz (September 10, 2022)

[THE_LOCKSMITH]

Pay-per-view 10:00 pm ET
Khamzat Chimaev vs. Nate Diaz
Tony Ferguson vs. Jingliang Li
Kevin Holland vs. Daniel Rodriguez
Irene Aldana vs. Macy Chiasson
Johnny Walker vs. Ion Cuțelaba

ESPN+ 8:00 pm ET
Hakeem Dawodu vs. Julian Erosa
Shamil Abdurakhimov vs. Jailton Almeida
Jamie Pickett vs. Denis Tiuliulin
Jake Collier vs. Chris Barnett

ESPN+ 6:00 pm ET
Danyelle Wolf vs. Norma Dumont
Alateng Heili vs. Chad Anheilger
Elise Reed vs. Melissa Martinez
Darian Weeks vs. Yohan Lainesse

[mackave]

I’ll be at this one in person, last one for me was Mcgregor vs Khabib (229) . Be back soon with some picks

[Brandt Moat]

How can Collier be a -360 over any Hvwt. in the UFC. I always put together a 3 or 4 leg parlay of dogs. Barnett can win in the first minute or 2. Collier will take to give.

[Thor4140]

Is there a chance the slightest pressure on Nate he taps than gives Dana a big fuk You? Would it kill his brand? Would love to have an inside source to see if Nate is taking this seriously

[Thor4140]

And lets not forget Pat Sabatini takes his 4-0 ufc record into the ring next week the 17th at the Apex center.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Is there a chance the slightest pressure on Nate he taps than gives Dana a big fuk You? Would it kill his brand? Would love to have an inside source to see if Nate is taking this seriously

I don't think anything could really kill the Diaz brand.

Noone expects him to win this fight, but if he pulls off a miracle his legend will only grow.

Nate better be taking this fight seriously or he is going to get murked..

[Brandt Moat]

Flipping off the Jewish brethren that fooks all the fighters outta $$ will get him props from aware people not "woke". Just sayn.

Is there a chance the slightest pressure on Nate he taps than gives Dana a big fuk You? Would it kill his brand? Would love to have an inside source to see if Nate is taking this seriously

[Brandt Moat]

I feel they gave Nate this fight in hopes he gets murked! Look at his list of opponents. They can't stand him or his brother. Fook those fooks that run the UFC. They held this sport down til the Jewish brethren took full control. Act like they built it. Yea just like Tesla didn't have shyt to do with electric. Sorry can't stand em. Annoying fooks. Anyone that gets to know em can't stand em. Most of em. And CUT....lol

I don't think anything could really kill the Diaz brand.

Noone expects him to win this fight, but if he pulls off a miracle his legend will only grow.

Nate better be taking this fight seriously or he is going to get murked..

[JAKEPEAVY21]

I feel they gave Nate this fight in hopes he gets murked! Look at his list of opponents. They can't stand him or his brother. Fook those fooks that run the UFC. They held this sport down til the Jewish brethren took full control. Act like they built it. Yea just like Tesla didn't have shyt to do with electric. Sorry can't stand em. Annoying fooks. Anyone that gets to know em can't stand em. Most of em. And CUT....lol

Khamzat should win easily if he fights smart.

If he throws caution to the wind and brawls with Diaz, he'll still probably win but that'll drastically increase Nate's chances.

[Brandt Moat]

He seems to want to trade. And yes that can favor a more then game Diaz. I like em both. They get busy.

[Thor4140]

Burns hit Chimaev with one of the hardest shots i ever saw a human take and the beast walked right thru it. He is going to throw Nate right on his back and smoother him like all wrestlers usually do. If Nate gets out of the first round he will prolly be a bloody mess. If Nate is taking this seriously we might have something of a match. If he is just getting that last fight out of the way we might see him and Dana in court cause Dana will refuse to pay him. Got to think Nate has to much pride but Dana has fuked so many people over who knows what Nate will be up too

[JIBBBY]

Write ups prelims -





145 lbs.: Norma Dumont vs. Danyelle Wolf

After suffering a knockout loss to Megan Anderson in her UFC debut, Norma Dumont (7-2) got back on track by winning three straight, including a five-round main event against Aspen Ladd. That momentum wasn’t enough to carry her past Macy Chiasson, though, as the former The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) winner out-dueled her to a split decision win.
She gives up four inches of height and three inches of reach to Wolf.
Danyelle Wolf (1-0) put together an impressive list of accomplishments in amateur boxing before turning her talents to mixed martial arts (MMA) when the Olympics excluded her weight class. Her professional debut came on Contender Series, where she took a controversial decision over unbeaten Taneisha Tennant.
She fights for the first time in almost two years.
For Wolf’s sake, she better have improved during her time away. Dumont beats the Contender Series iteration of Wolf without issue. That’s because the latter was very fortunate to escape with the victory, showing both a limited striking arsenal outside of jabs and crosses and a weak bottom game. Based on that performance, Dumont can hold her own on the feet and has shown off enough wrestling skills to ruin Wolf’s day on the mat.
I’m not saying Wolf couldn’t have turned things around behind the scenes, but she’s 38, a late entrant to MMA, and her primary skillset failed to impress last time. It would be a shock if Dumont didn’t dominate this one with her standard gameplan.
Prediction: Dumont via unanimous decision
Related
Watch ‘Countdown To UFC 279’

135 lbs.: Chad Anheliger vs. Alatengheili

Chad Anheliger (12-5) followed his knockout of future TUF finalist, Brady Hiestand, with an upset split decision over Muin Gafarov on Contender Series. His subsequent UFC debut pitted him against Jesse Strader, whom he stopped in violent fashion late in the third round.
He’s knocked out seven professional foes and submitted three others.
Alatengheili (15-8-2) started his UFC career strong with decisions over Batgerel Danaa and Ryan Benoit, only to suffer a one-sided loss to Casey Kenney and a unanimous draw against Gustavo Lopez. “The Mongolian Knight” returned to the win column in dramatic fashion in April 2022, however, knocking out Kevin Croom in just 47 seconds.
He’ll have a two-inch reach advantage despite being the shorter of the two.
This seems like a profoundly unfavorable match up for Anheliger. Alatengheili has proven himself powerful enough to hurt Anheliger, who spent two rounds getting out-landed by the technically limited Jesse Strader, and also boasts a strong offensive wrestling game that he used to earn his first two Octagon victories. Getting taken down five times by a capable grappler in Gafurov is one thing, but surrendering four takedowns to Strader is a serious red flag for Anheliger’s ability to keep it on the feet.
Anheliger can’t even bank on out-working Alatengheili when the latter can bring him to the mat whenever things get hairy. Barring a brain fart from Alatengheili like the one that cost him a point against Lopez, he mixes eye-catching power shots with regular takedowns to secure a decision.
Prediction: Alatengheili via unanimous decision
Related
SEEK & DESTROY

115 lbs.: Melissa Martinez vs. Elise Reed

One fight into her professional career, Melissa Martinez (7-0) took her talents to Combate, ending four of her first five promotion bouts inside the distance. Her efforts earned her a title shot against Desiree Yanez, which “Super Melly” made the most of with a split decision win.
This marks her first MMA bout in nearly three years, taking a hiatus to focus on kickboxing.
Elise Reed (5-2) — a former CFFC champion — put a UFC debut loss to Sijara Eubanks behind her to upset Cory McKenna via split decision. Two months later, she faced Sam Hughes, who overpowered Reed with wrestling and ground-and-pound for a third round stoppage.
She steps in for Hannah Cifers on two months’ notice.
I’m in a bit of a weird spot with this prediction. Reed likely beats the last version of Martinez who entered the cage because “Super Melly” had clear power and potential; however, she was far from a finished product and would have struggled with Reed’s more polished kickboxing. Thing is, that Martinez was from 2019, and she’s spent the last three years practicing pure striking.
In short, odds are that we see a much, much better Martinez come fight night.
With the caveat that this is pure conjecture on my part, I’ll go with Martinez. Reed lacks the wrestling to throw Martinez off her game and the power difference by itself may be enough to earn Martinez the nod. In the end, the new — hypothetically improved — Martinez tears up Reed’s leg and lands enough heavy blows to sway the judges.
Prediction: Martinez via unanimous decision
Related
Time For A Funeral!

170 lbs.: Darian Weeks vs. Yohan Lainesse

Darian Weeks’ (5-2) short-notice UFC debut saw him fight Bryan Barberena to a competitive decision loss at the APEX. He got no favors in his second effort, which saw him drop another decision to unbeaten Irishman, Ian Machado Garry.
He’s ended all five of his professional wins inside of two rounds.
Yohan Lainesse (8-1) went from finishing Evan Cutts for CFFC’s Welterweight title to crushing Justin Burlinson in 97 seconds on Contender Series. He then started strong in his promotional debut against Gabe Green, but succumbed to “Gifted’s” pressure late in the second.
He’ll have a 3.5-inch reach advantage on fight night.
I know I’ve had bad luck backing fighters with questionable cardio recently, but I find myself leaning toward Lainesse. Weeks just hasn’t impressed me in the Octagon — that wrestling of his wasn’t sufficient to neutralize Barberena and he had very little to offer Garry on the feet. Lainesse has a clear edge in punching power and enough grappling chops of his own to keep Weeks from grinding out a win on top.
That’s true for the first round, at least. The question is how long Lainesse can actually keep that up. He’s burned himself out in record time before, and considering Weeks managed to land more than 100 significant strikes on Barberena, that gas tank will definitely be taxed. Still, he should be able to do enough damage early and survive late to eke out the win.
Prediction: Lainesse via split decision




145 lbs.: Hakeem Dawodu vs. Julian Erosa

After dropping his UFC debut in a shock upset against Danny Henry, Hakeem Dawodu (13-2-1) battled his way to five consecutive Octagon victories. Though he fell short against Movsar Evloev in Glendale, “Mean” returned to the win column by out-striking Mike Trizano eight months later.
He stands five inches shorter than Julian Erosa (27-9) and gives up one inch of reach.
“Juicy J’s” return to the Octagon after two years away resulted in three consecutive defeats and another ignominious exit from the world’s largest fight promotion. Undaunted, he now sits at 4-1 in his last five UFC bouts, three of those wins inside the distance.
His 23 professional finishes are split 12/11 between submissions and knockouts.
Erosa has become surprisingly adept at scoring comeback finishes lately, and he’s going to need one here. Dawodu has the Muay Thai chops to eat “Juicy J” alive on the feet and sufficiently strong takedown defense to keep Erosa’s submission skills completely out of the equation. He doesn’t slow down, either, so Erosa can’t bank on steadily overwhelming him with volume.
All signs point to Hakeem performing a clinical dissection, taking advantage of Erosa’s historically poor defense to tear apart his head, body and legs. A club-and-sub from Erosa isn’t totally out of the question, as we saw in Dawodu’s debut, but it’s likelier that Dawodu chops him down for a mid- or late-round finish.
Prediction: Dawodu via third round technical knockout
Related
Time For A Funeral!

220 lbs.: Anton Turkalj vs. Jailton Almeida

Sweden’s Anton Turkalj (8-0) racked up three first round finishes under the Brave CF banner en route to Contender Series, one of them via 13-second spinning back fist. “Pleasure Man” was unable to do the same to Acacio dos Santos, but still walked away with his first professional decision win.
He replaces Shamil Abdurakhimov — who ran into **** issues — on less than 10 days’ notice.
Unbeaten since a 5-2 pro start, Jailton Almeida (16-2) secured a UFC contract with a dominant submission of Nasrudin Nasrudinov on Contender Series. After smashing Danilo Marques in his promotional debut, he moved up to Heavyweight to choke out Parker Porter three months later.
All of his wins have come by stoppage, 10 of those via submission.
While I’m sold on Almeida’s overall abilities, I’m not totally sold on this Heavyweight campaign. I feel like he’s going to have a much harder time getting his smothering grappling going against larger men, or at least larger men who, unlike Porter, have actual wrestling chops.
He’s still way too much for Turkalj, though. Even if he doesn’t immediately decide to take things to the ground, Turkalj’s lack of head movement means Almeida can hold his own on the feet. This lasts as long as Almeida wants it to and, once he’s had his fun and decides to take down Turkalj, he’ll find the latter’s neck in a hurry.
Prediction: Almeida via first round submission
Related
Watch ‘Countdown To UFC 279’

185 lbs.: Denis Tiuliulin vs. Jamie Pickett

Denis Tiuliulin (10-6) rode a 4-1 run into his UFC debut, which saw him step up on short notice to meet Contender Series graduate, Aliaskhab Khizriev. His efforts couldn’t match his ambitions, succumbing to a rear-naked choke midway through the second round.
Eight of his 10 professional wins have come by form of knockout.
Three-time Contender Series veteran, Jamie Pickett, evened up his UFC record at 2-2 with consecutive decisions over Laureano Staropoli and Joseph Holmes. This set up a clash with fellow DWCS graduate Kyle Daukaus, who put away “The Nightwolf” with a buzzer-beating d’arce choke.
He is the taller man by one inch and boasts a five-inch reach advantage.
After five UFC bouts, I’m still not entirely sure what Pickett does well. He’s rangy, durable and a functional wrestler, I suppose, but he hasn’t done anything memorable since blowing up Jhonoven Pati on Contender Series.
Still, “rangy, durable and a functional wrestler” may be enough to carry him past Tiuliulin, a one-dimensional striker with awful takedown defense. If Pickett can stay busy and mix in the occasional takedown without getting drawn into a slugfest, he’s got the tools to neutralize Tiuliulin and get back to .500 in the Octagon. However, just don’t expect it to be pretty.
Prediction: Pickett via unanimous decision
Related
Up Next! Chimaev Vs. Diaz In Vegas!

265 lbs.: Jake Collier vs. Chris Barnett

Jake Collier (13-7) has alternated losses and wins for the entirety of his nearly seven-year Octagon career, starting with a head kick knockout loss to Vitor Miranda. His 2022 efforts have seen him choke out Chase Sherman and lose a hugely controversial split decision to Andrei Arlovski, his second split defeat in three fights.
“The Prototype” stands six inches taller than “Huggy Bear” and will enjoy a 3.5-inch reach advantage.
Chris Barnett (22-8) bounced back from an unsuccessful UFC debut by smashing Gian Villante with a bonus-winning wheel kick at UFC 268. Next came a clash with Contender Series graduate, Martin Buday, who walked away with a technical decision win after an illegal strike in the third round.
All 17 of his finishes have come by knockout.
You’ve gotta feel for Collier because he was plenty competitive against Felipe and there wasn’t a single media outlet who scored the Andrei Arlovski fight against him. Luckily, there shouldn’t be too much controversy here. Though Barnett always has the potential to score an out-of-nowhere finish, Collier’s striking fundamentals far outstrip “Huggy Bear’s,” and he knows how to use his height and reach advantages.
There just doesn’t seem to be a whole lot that Barnett can threaten Collier with outside of low-percentage kills hots. Whether striking at range or using the wrestling skills he’s shown of late, Collier out-classes Barnett for the full 15 minutes.
Prediction: Collier via unanimous decision

[JIBBBY]

Tony Ferguson at those plus odds is interesting? Is Tony done or is he not is the question in this sport? If not he could almost easily win this fight.

[GunShard]

Khamzat Chimaev by KO/TKO -135 looks like the play.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Khamzat Chimaev by KO/TKO -135 looks like the play.

Agreed, that looks good

[magpie878]

The posts are coming in quicker than I can read them at other site, but Chimaev was way overweight (and wasn't the only one) and this isn't happening.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

What in the world? Bloody hell that is lame.

[magpie878]

Never seen anything like this.

Proposed lineup, I haven't seen confirmation yet:

Diaz vs Ferguson
Chimaev vs Holland
Rodriguez vs Jingliang

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Never seen anything like this.

Proposed lineup, I haven't seen confirmation yet:

Diaz vs Ferguson
Chimaev vs Holland
Rodriguez vs Jingliang

I'd actually prefer those!!

Get it done, Dana!!

[hankcream]

I already paid for this shit show & I'm sure ESPN won't refund the money. Chimaev is an idiot, he walked up to the scale smiling and acting like a complete tool. If Holland accepts to fight him, Dana should give him 90% of Chimaev's purse and I hope Holland kicks the wannabe gangster's ass.

[Allure]

This was done on purpose. You don't simply miss by 8 lbs. Also Nate vs Tony is what we deserve and want to see.

[Kermit]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Hey <a href="https://twitter.com/KChimaev?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KChimaev</a> use code TRAILBLAZER or I do it for you…..no �� <a href="https://twitter.com/manscaped?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@manscape d</a> <a href="https://t.co/saGhzuj4Uz">pic.twitter.com/saGhzuj4Uz</a></p>&mdash; Kevin Holland (@Trailblaze2top) <a href="https://twitter.com/Trailblaze2top/status/1567634084964204548?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" >September 7, 2022</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[JIBBBY]

Madness!

https://www.espn.com/mma/story/_/id/34556992/khamzat-chimaev-misses-weight-more-seven-pounds-bout-vs-nate-diaz-doubt

[DiggityDaggityDo]

Miss weight by 7.5 pounds lol

[Kermit]

Never seen anything like this.

Proposed lineup, I haven't seen confirmation yet:

Diaz vs Ferguson
Chimaev vs Holland
Rodriguez vs Jingliang

Looks like they're all confirmed.

[THE_LOCKSMITH]

Never seen anything like this.

Proposed lineup, I haven't seen confirmation yet:

Diaz vs Ferguson
Chimaev vs Holland
Rodriguez vs Jingliang

[Brandt Moat]

O.K. I might go a bit overboard sometimes...Now we go and wager on this dog shyt? Not a chance! Wasn't impressed with the card before the debacle. Won't tune in, don't care. GL to all who fook with this steaming pile.

[Brandt Moat]

Wonder if that's Chimaev's way of telling Dana to put him in with a higher ranking more prominent fighter? Or are fighters telling the organization they don't care if they don't care about the fighters? If I make weight I make weight. No big deal! ???WTF

[hankcream]

I heard that Darren Till was mourning the death of the Queen on Thursday night & wasn’t able to engage in his normal rough male lovemaking session with Kahmzat & that’s the reason Chimaev missed weight.

[Brandt Moat]

That's crazy Hank! My dude was telling me the same thing. Is that true? They some rough boys?

[sweethook]

jezz nate got lucky , tony will beat him but KC may have killed him

[eddycash]

Tony has issues getting hit when he tires

[DiggityDaggityDo]

Man…. LOL

That’s all.

[Allure]

Couldn't have worked out any better. Nate and Tony would have been absolutely raped by Khamzat and Li.

Now both legends don't go out getting smashed. Also leaving the UFC without ever seeing Tony vs Nate would have been a disaster. Glad this is now happening.

Khamzat vs Holland winner fights Colby vs Dustin winner.

So Khamzat vs Colby is a MUST. And the winner of that fights Leon vs Usman 3 outcome.

[SoupDumpling]

Yeah this shit show turned into a better card imo, almost as if it planned from the beginning...