UFC 279

Dana White has provided further clarity after the UFC 279 press conference was abruptly cancelled minutes after it began “for everybody's safety.”

There aren’t nearly as many people as there are for the ceremonial weigh-ins. It was absolutely nuts back here. “It was crazy. “The Diaz camp showed up with 57 people. Then you had multiple guys going on back here. We were wrong.

SportsLine's Kyle Marley reveals his UFC 279 picks and predictions for Nate Diaz vs. Khamzat Chimaev.

He's also backing "a dangerous grappler" to emerge with a surprising upset victory. The 30-year-old was knocked out by rising prospect Jamahal Hill in February. Diaz (20-13) never won a title but fought for it once, coming up short against former lightweight champion Benson Henderson nearly 10 years ago. The 28-year-old is coming off a submission loss to veteran Ryan Spann in May. Diaz has won just one UFC fight since the first meeting with McGregor, but the Northern California native's popularity remains unchanged among his fan base. However, his legacy was cemented when he pierced the veil of Conor McGregor's perceived invincibility in their March 2016 showdown. The Diaz brothers are revered for their tenacity, fearlessness and irreverent attitudes outside of the cage. Their wild, three-round brawl generated Fight of the Night honors and Chimaev won a razor-thin decision. He memorably knocked out veteran submission specialist Gerald Meerschaert with the first punch thrown in their September 2020 fight. He watches every single fight for every professional MMA card and does extensive research before each event. Before making any UFC 279 picks, make sure you He could lock up a title shot with an impressive win over Diaz, a 15-year UFC veteran who is considered among the pioneers of the growth of the sport.

LAS VEGAS – MMA Junkie is on scene and reporting live from Friday's official UFC 279 fighter weigh-ins, which kick off at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Denis Tiuliulin () Chris Barnett () vs. Anton Turkalj () Jamie Pickett () vs. Julian Erosa () Jailton Almeida () vs. ET)Hakeem Dawodu () vs. Li Jingliang () Kevin Holland () vs. Nate Diaz () Tony Ferguson () vs.

Brett Appley previews three fights from UFC 279, including the main event between Nate Diaz and Khamzat Chimaev.

There may even be some value on the line if Dawodu is truly the better round winner and the more likely fighter to win inside the distance. Essentially, this fight projects to take place on the feet, and it projects to be fought at a high pace with lots of exchanges. My expectation is that Erosa will need to create wild exchanges and draw Dawodu into a firefight, or he’ll need to grapple. Movsar Evloev took him down nine times and won a decision, but Evloev is one of the best prospects in that featherweight division. Erosa does throw volume, and he’ll carry a few inches in height over Dawodu, but I don’t feel he’ll be able to land as easily or as effectively over three rounds. Erosa has been knocked out in four of his five UFC losses, and a few of them have been pretty devastating. If he can close the distance with any consistency, I would not be surprised to see Rodriguez land more effectively and take rounds, or even hurt Holland. From a betting perspective, I will choose to pass on the Chimaev moneyline, for obvious reasons. Diaz is a longtime black belt in jiu-jitsu but he defends takedowns at 41 percent, and it won’t be difficult for Chimaev to earn top position if that’s his preferred method of fighting. Though his jiu-jitsu might allow him to survive on the mat, Chimaev has a strong chance to land takedowns and earn control early. Even on the feet, Diaz’ reaction times are slower than they used to be, and Chimaev should be able to land consistently and at an efficient pace. Diaz’ UFC contract is set to run out, though I won’t be surprised to see him eventually take on Conor McGregor for the third time, and he’s already released his plans to enter the business side of MMA with his Real Fight Inc.

The Sporting News has you covered when it comes to how much it will be to watch Khamzat Chimaev vs. Nate Diaz.

- Main event: 12:15 a.m. - Main card: 10 p.m. The Sporting News may earn an affiliate commission when you sign up for a streaming service through our links. 12 p.m. 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. and Mexico on the ESPN+ subscription streaming service for a pay-per-view cost. Looking to buy the fight card? Chimaev finally returned in October 2021 and beat Li Jingliang via submission. Chimaev took the MMA world by storm with his skills and killer mindset. The 37-year-old won "The Ultimate Fighter" in 2007. It is the last bout of Diaz’s deal with the UFC. The fight will take place inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The Sporting News will be providing updates from the last weigh-in in the UFC for Nate Diaz.

- Main event: 12:15 a.m. The Sporting News may earn an affiliate commission when you sign up for a streaming service through our links. 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. - Main card: 10 p.m. and Mexico on the ESPN+ subscription streaming service for a pay-per-view cost. 12 p.m. 10 a.m. The Sporting News will be providing weigh-in results for UFC 279. Chimaev finally returned in October 2021 and beat Li Jingliang via submission. He made his pro debut in 2018 and joined the UFC in 2020, winning three fights for the promotion that year. Diaz is 14-11 with the UFC and has competed against Clay Guida, Donald Cerrone, Jim Miller, Gray Maynard and Conor McGregor. In the last fight of his UFC contract, he will face Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 279 inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Chimaev reportedly kicked fellow fighter Kevin Holland, before Nate Diaz's team became involved.

“You know how Nate and Khamzat are; they could have some words and we have enough people here to deal with it. “What we didn’t have enough people for was everybody to start fighting. [Terms of use,](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/user-policies-a6184151.html) [Cookie policy](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/cookie-policy-a6184186.html) and [Privacy notice.](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/privacy-policy-a6184181.html) Tiki took a couple of water bottles to the head, a couple slaps, kicks. “Tiki took a couple for the team and he’s not even on the team. [Privacy policy](https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en) and [Terms of service](https://policies.google.com/terms?hl=en) apply. There was no security over there because everybody was dealing with the other thing, and once it all started erupting, it was just a s*** show.” [UFC](/topic/ufc) president Dana White brought just two fighters onto the stage – Holland and opponent Daniel Rodriguez – with the intention of proceeding in kind with the remaining combatants, but the press conference was instead cancelled as one of numerous altercations took place backstage. There were multiple things going on at the same time. “There were multiple things going on at the same time. By clicking ‘Register’ you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our “If it wasn’t for Tiki, we would have been in trouble,” White said.

Check out a live video stream of the UFC 279 ceremonial weigh-ins, featuring Khamzat Chimaev vs. Nate Diaz in Las Vegas.

The weigh-ins take place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. ET (4 p.m. [UFC 279](https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/events/ufc-279-chimaev-vs-diaz) ceremonial fighter weigh-ins take place Friday, and you can catch a live video stream of the proceedings here on MMA Junkie at 7 p.m.

The UFC returns to a more familiar scene this weekend as Las Vegas plays host to UFC 279.

Chad Anheliger vs Alatengheili (bantamweight) Shamil Abdurakhimov vs Jailton Almeida (heavyweight) Nate Diaz vs Khamzat Chimaev (welterweight)