Tonight’s UFC 279 fight card has a new main event, and it’s arguably better than the originally scheduled one.
Nate Diaz will now face Tony Ferguson in a five-round welterweight clash after Diaz’s original opponent Khamzat Chimaev missed weight by 7.5 pounds. The UFC immediately got to work following the botched weight cut and ended up filling the main event slot with Ferguson, who was already scheduled to fight on the same card against Li Jingliang.
It’s a matchup that longtime fans of mixed martial arts have wanted to see for many years. But with Diaz now fighting on the final fight of his contract, the elusive matchup between Diaz vs. Ferguson looked like it’d be another potential classic that slipped away from us.
Diaz vs. Ferguson is also a much more competitive bout than the original main event. Diaz was set to enter the bout with Chimaev as a +750 underdog at some sites, being on the wrong side of the craziest odds for the main event we’ve seen in quite some time. Now, Diaz is available at +110 odds as oddsmakers seek action on both sides of the fight. Ferguson, too, benefits from the matchup. He was a moderate underdog in his move up to welterweight but will now enter as a slight betting favorite against Diaz.
Diaz vs. Ferguson is the main event of tonight’s event, and that means it’ll be the last fight of the night. UFC 279, just like all UFC PPV events, can only be viewed on
Diaz vs. Ferguson fight start time
- Fight date: Saturday, Sept. 10
- Start time: 11:50 pm ET / 8:50 pm PT
- Where: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
- Watch: Only on ESPN+ PPV
The UFC 279 main card will begin at the standard time of 10 pm ET / 7 pm PT. Five fights are scheduled to take place tonight in Las Vegas, and that means Nate Diaz vs. Tony Ferguson is expected to start at close to midnight ET.
Updated UFC 279 fight card
Saturday, Sept. 10 – T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
Main Card – 10:00 pm ET / 7:00 pm PT only on
- 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 – 8:00 pm ET / 5:00 pm PT on ESPN+
- Hakeem Dawodu vs. Julian Erosa
- Jailton Almeida vs. Anton Turkalj
- Denis Tiuliulin vs. Jamie Pickett
- Jake Collier vs. Chris Barnett
Early Prelims– 6:00 pm ET / 3:00 pm PT on ESPN+
- Norma Dumont vs. Danyelle Wolf
- Chad Anheliger vs. Alateng Heili
- Melissa Martinez vs. Elise Reed
- Darian Weeks vs. Yohan Lainesse
