UFC 279 live fight updates, results, highlights from Nate Diaz vs. Tony Ferguson, Khamzat Chimaev vs. Kevin Holland

LAS VEGAS — UFC 279 received a last-minute shake-up after Khamzat Chimaev egregiously missed weight on Friday, resulting in a slew of changes to Saturday’s pay-per-view.

Needing to hit 171 on the scale, Chimaev came in at 178.5, missing weight by a whopping 7.5 pounds. The shocking weigh-in sent UFC into a mad scramble with Dana White ultimately settling on three new nights in a mixed martial arts musical chairs.

Nate Diaz — competing on the last fight of his UFC deal and who was looking to shock the world against Chimaev at UFC 279 — will now face Tony Ferguson in the main event. Ferguson was previously further down the card facing off against Li Jingliang.

MORE: Here’s what actually happens when a UFC fighter misses weight

Chimaev will now fight Derek Holland in the co-main event in what should be an especially heated scrap after the two of them mixed it up earlier this week, an altercation that ultimately led to the cancellation of the UFC 279 press conference.

Jingliang will now face Daniel Rodriguez, who was originally supposed to fight Holland.

Six fighters, three new matchups, all set barely 24 hours before the first bell rings inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Absolute mayhem.

MORE: Sign up to watch the UFC 279 PPV, exclusively on ESPN+

The Sporting News will be providing coverage of UFC 279. Stay tuned! 

UFC 279 live results, highlights

Nate Diaz vs. Tony Ferguson

Round Two: Diaz starts the second with a combination and a leg kick. Left hand and a body kick from Diaz. Uppercut from Ferguson lands. Short left from Diaz behind a body kick. Right hand from Diaz. Ferguson can’t seem to land much but he’s trying. Ferguson is moving around a lot. Diaz lands another three-punch combination. Right hook from Diaz lands and Ferguson scurries away. Maybe Ferguson should try a takedown. Or something.

SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Diaz (19-19)

Round One: Diaz rushes across the cage and tries to land an elbow. Spinning elbow by Ferguson misses. Both are looking for openings but Ferguson is the aggressor. There’s a nasty cut on Ferguson’s shin that’s pouring blood. Leg kicks by Ferguson. Left hand by Ferguson lands. Ferguson’s movement has Diaz off. Diaz points and laughs at Ferguson after a miss. Ferguson laughs back. Leg kick by Diaz. Combination lands for Diaz. Ferguson fumbles back with a punch and a leg kick. Ferguson is going for some wild spinning strikes but can’t land. Diaz lands a left hand to close the round.

SN Unofficial Scorecard: 10-9 Ferguson

12:09 a.m.: Ferguson made his way to the Octagon to a nice ovation but it is nothing compared to how this arena shook when Diaz emerged from the tunnel as marijuana smoke fills up T-Mobile Arena. This might be the last time we ever see Nate Diaz in the Octagon. 

12:00 a.m.: Well, now that the co-main event is over in swift order, we have the main event up next. Nate Diaz vs. Tony Ferguson in a fight that should have happened a long time ago. Nevertheless, it’s a great main event today. It’s Diaz’s last fight on his UFC contract and Ferguson needs to end a four fight losing streak. 

Khamzat Chimaev easily submits Kevin Holland in the first round

Round One: Chimaev takes Holland down immediately. He’s rag-dolling him. Holland is trying to scramble and gets to his feet. Chimaev is all over him. Back down goes Holland. Chimaev going for a d’arce choke. The choke is getting tighter. And Holland taps. It’s over in 2:13.

SN Unofficial Scorecard: —

11:39 p.m.: The two men who had an altercation backstage that caused the UFC 279 press conference to be canceled are up next as Khamzat Chimaev and Kevin Holland will battle in the five-round co-main event. This crowd despises Chimaev but he’ll be a huge favorite over Holland. 

Daniel Rodriguez gets split decision over Li Jingliang on short notice

11:35 p.m.: It was expected to be close and two of the judges scored it for Rodriguez while the other had it for Jingliang. The crowd here booed both fighters even though they took this matchup on a day’s notice. They deserved better than that despite the lack of action.

11:26 p.m.: After two rounds it’s been a relatively nip and tuck affair between Jingliang and Rodriguez in a fight that has remained on the feet. Jingliang managed to drop Rodriguez late in the second round and may find himself up by two rounds. But who knows how the judges are feeling tonight?

11:05 p.m.: It’s time to get weird. The first of three cards altered yesterday is up next. The innocent bystanders — Li Jingliang and Daniel Rodriguez — will meet in a catchweight of 180 pounds.

Irena Aldana stops Macy Chiasson with upkick to the liver 

11:00 p.m.: Whoa. Irene Aldana finished Macy Chiasson in the third round with one of the most unique finishes you’ll see. While on her back, Aldana drilled a standing Chiasson in the ribs with her heel. Chiasson went down in a heap and Aldana picked up the stunning TKO.

10:52 p.m: Aldana and Chiasson are having themselves a scrap. Aldana dominated the first round when she turned a Chiasson takedown attempt into a deep armbar that Chiasson somehow managed to survive. In the second, Aldana reversed another takedown attempt but found Chiasson wrapping around to her back, mounting her and landing elbow strikes. It should be even heading into the final round. 

10:33 p.m.: Up next is a catchweight bout between the #4 ranked Irene Aldana and the #10 ranked Macy Chiasson. Both women decided to fight over the women’s bantamweight limit of 135 pounds and will face off at 140 pounds. 

Johnny Walker chokes out Ion Cutelaba in the first round

10:27 p.m.: Johnny Walker put an end to a two-fight losing streak with a first-round submission over Ion Cutelaba. Cutelaba attempted to neutralize Walker’s striking by taking him down but found himself being taken down later in the round. Walker swiftly worked to sink in a rear naked choke and got the job done. After Cutelaba tapped, Walker kissed him and started breakdancing. 

10:18 p.m.: Johnny Walker and Ion Cutelaba will get things started on the main card. Both fighters made weight and had no drama heading into this fight. One of the few fights that didn’t have issues. 

10:01 p.m.: Julian Erosa picked up his third consecutive victory by outworking Hakeem Dawodu for three rounds and picking up the unanimous decision. Nothing terribly exciting here but a workman-like job for the 33-year-old. And now it is time for the main card.

9:20 p.m.: Jailton Almeida’s grappling may be a problem for future opponents as he dominated Anton Turkalj from the beginning of the fight with his grappling until he snaked in a rear naked choke for the finish. Impressive work from the Brazilian. 

9:02 p.m.: We are live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas ahead of one of the craziest cards in UFC history. The energy in the arena is already high. What have you missed? Well, Chris Barnett had a fantastic comeback win and then did this… 

Who has more fun than @BeastBoy61? 🤣 pic.twitter.com/uP5783zB1I

— UFC (@ufc) September 11, 2022

Yup. That was fun. Up next is the second of six (!) catchweight bouts as Jailton Almeida faces Anton Turkalj.

When is UFC 279: Nate Diaz vs. Tony Ferguson

• Date: Saturday, Sept. 10
• Start time: 6:15 p.m. ET | 11:15 PM BST | 8 a.m. AEST
• Prelims: 8 p.m. ET | 1 a.m. BST | 10 a.m. AEST
• Main card: 10 p.m. ET | 3 a.m. BST | 12 p.m. AEST
• Main event: 12:15 a.m. ET | 5:15 a.m. BST | 2:15 p.m. AEST (Approximately) 

UFC 279 takes place on Sept. 10. The FIGHT PASS prelims take place at 6:15 p.m. ET, with the prelims going on after at 8 p.m. ET. The main card goes live at 10 p.m. ET. Diaz and Ferguson should make their way to the octagon around 12:15 a.m. ET, depending on how long the undercard fights last.

How to watch UFC 279: Nate Diaz vs. Tony Ferguson

• TV channels: ESPN+
• Live stream: ESPN+, UFC Fight Pass

The main card for UFC 279 is available in the U.S. and Mexico on the ESPN+ subscription streaming service for a pay-per-view cost.

Earlier fights are viewable live on ESPN+, the WatchESPN app, and, for the early prelims, on UFC Fight Pass. 

In Canada, the main card pay-per-view is available on TSN, Bell, Rogers, Shaw, Eastlink and UFC PPV on UFC Fight Pass.

In the United Kingdom, the main card will be available on BT Sport, with the prelims available on UFC Fight Pass. 

In Australia, the main card will be on Main Event, Kayo Sports, FOXTEL, and UFC PPV on UFC Fight Pass.

Nate Diaz vs. Tony Ferguson price: How much does UFC 279 cost? 

• $74.99 (current ESPN+ subscribers)
• $99.98 (new subscribers)

In the U.S., the UFC 279 main card is available via pay-per-view on ESPN+, which also requires a subscription. The PPV price for UFC 279 is $74.99 for current subscribers. New subscribers can pay a bundle price of $99.98 for the UFC 279 pay-per-view and an ESPN+ annual subscription, which offers savings of more than 30 percent.

MORE: Sign up to watch the UFC 279 PPV, exclusively on ESPN+

Click here to learn about the different pricing and bundling options with the ESPN+ platform.

UFC 279 fight card

Main card

• Nate Diaz vs. Tony Ferguson; Welterweights
• Khamzat Chimaev def. Kevin Holland (D’arce choke) (2:13)
• Daniel Rodriguez def. Li Jingliang via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
• Irene Aldana def. Macy Chiasson via 3rd round TKO (upkick to liver) (2:21)
• Johnny Walker def. Ion Cutelaba via 1st round submission (rear-naked choke) (4:37)

Prelims

• Julian Erosa def. Hakeem Dawodu via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27 & 30-27)
• Jailton Almeida def. Anton Turkalj via 1st round submission (rear-naked choke) (4:20)
• Denis Tiuliulin def. Jamie Pickett via 2nd round TKO (knee & punches) (4:52)
• Chris Barnett def. Jake Collier via 2nd round TKO (punches) (2:24)

FIGHT PASS Prelims

• Norma Dumont def. Danyelle Wolf via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27 & 30-26)
• Alateng Heili def. Chad Anheliger via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27 & 30-27)
• Elise Reed def. Melissa Martinez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28 & 29-28)
• Yohan Lainesse def. Darian Weeks via split decision (29-28, 29-28 & 28-29)

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