UFC 279 Nate Diaz vs. Tony Ferguson: Begin Occasions, The right way to Watch, Weigh-In Insanity

Properly, that was bizarre. The place can we even begin?

Let’s begin with Nate Diaz vs. Khamzat Chimaev. That was the combat that was supposed to headline UFC 279. However Chimaev missed weight massively, coming in 7.5 kilos over the 171 restrict. To save lots of the cardboard, the UFC needed to rearrange the complete important card. 

Learn Extra: The right way to Get ESPN Plus for UFC 279

After negotiations between the fighters, there is a new important occasion. And one which, bizarrely, makes much more sense.

As an alternative of being outmatched by Chimaev, Nate Diaz is now going through off towards fellow UFC legend Tony Ferguson. 

Chimaev is now combating Kevin Holland at a 179-pound catch weight within the co-main occasion. Contemplating these two have been circling one another, sending gibes one another’s manner for months, this combat might also make plenty of sense.

Li Jingliang, who was initially going to combat Tony Ferguson, is now going through off towards Holland’s previous opponent, Daniel Rodriguez.

Briefly we have gone from…

• Khamzat Chimaev vs. Nate Diaz
• Tony Ferguson vs. Li Jingliang
• Kevin Holland vs. Daniel Rodriguez

To…

• Nate Diaz vs. Tony Ferguson
• Khamzat Chimaev vs. Kevin Holland 
• Li Jingliang vs. Daniel Rodriguez

In all probability the most important loser right here is Li Jingliang, who’s gone from a status co-main occasion with a legend in Tony Ferguson, to a very powerful combat with a much bigger man in Daniel Rodriguez.

However the card is alive.

Press convention canceled?

It has been a chaotic few days. Earlier than the weigh-in circus, UFC President Dana White was pressured to cancel the UFC 279 press convention on the final minute, after an enormous scuffle backstage that includes Chimaev and Kevin Holland, one other fighter on the undercard.

The pair had been arguing forwards and backwards earlier than issues bought bodily. Reportedly, members of Diaz’s entourage additionally bought concerned, with bottles being thrown. 

MMA reporter Ariel Helwani has the total story.

All par for the course with a Diaz combat.

UFC 279 Begin time

The UFC 279 important card begins at 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT) on Sept. 10. Listed below are all the small print from a number of time zones.

US

• The principle card begins Sept 10, 10 p.m. ET (7 p.m. PT).
• The prelims begin Sept. 10, 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT).
• The early prelims begin Sep. 10, 6 p.m. ET (3 p.m. PT).

UK

• The principle card begins Sept. 11, 3 a.m. BST.
• The prelims begin Sept. 11, 1 a.m. BST.
• The early prelims begin Sept. 10, 11 p.m. BST.

Australia

• The principle card begins Sept. 11, 12 p.m. AEDT.
• The prelims begin Sept. 11, 10 a.m. AEDT.
• The early prelims begin Sept. 11, 8.00 a.m. AEDT.

The right way to watch UFC 279

The UFC now has a partnership with ESPN. That is nice information for the UFC and the growth of the game of MMA, however dangerous information for shopper selection. Particularly when you’re one of many UFC followers who wish to watch UFC within the US.

Within the US, if you wish to know how you can watch UFC 279, you may solely discover the combat night time on pay per view via ESPN Plus. The price construction is a bit complicated, however listed below are the choices to look at UFC on ESPN, in line with ESPN’s web site:

• Present yearly ESPN Plus subscribers can order the upcoming UFC card for $75.
• New ESPN Plus subscribers can purchase a bundle of 1 UFC PPV occasion (streaming in HD) and an ESPN Plus annual recurring subscription for $100. It is a first rate deal. The ESPN Plus annual ESPN subscription will auto-renew after one yr, on the worth of an ESPN Plus annual subscription on the time of auto-renewal.

You are able to do the entire above on the hyperlink under.

MMA followers within the UK can watch UFC 278 completely via BT Sport.

There are extra choices when you reside in Australia. You possibly can watch UFC 278 via Fundamental Occasion on Foxtel. You may also stream by way of Kayo for AU$55. You possibly can even order utilizing your PlayStation or utilizing the UFC app in your Xbox.

Want extra worldwide viewing choices? Strive a VPN to change your IP tackle to entry these US, UK or Australian choices listed above. See the greatest VPNs really useful by CNET editors.

Full combat card

As all the time, these playing cards are topic to vary.

Fundamental PPV 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

Early prelims

• Danyelle Wolf vs. Norma Dumont
• Chad Anheliger vs. Heili Alateng
• Elise Reed vs. Melissa Martinez
• Darian Weeks vs. Yohan Lainesse