Fight By Fight Preview | UFC 279

Welterweight veteran Nate Diaz arrives looking to play spoiler to Tony Ferguson's return to the welterweight division the same way he did in his impromptu first meeting with Conor McGregor at UFC 196. He’s dropped each of his last two outings but showed in the final minute of his UFC 263 clash with newly minted welterweight champ Leon Edwards that he’s always capable of shaking things up if you let him hang around long enough.

Ferguson returns to the 170-pound ranks for the first time since winning the welterweight competition on Season 13 of The Ultimate Fighter. A long-time title contender and former interim lightweight champion, “El Cucuy” has dropped four straight after amassing an impressive 12-fight winning streak, and looks to reverse course with a move up in weight this weekend.

*Due to weight management issues with Khamzat Chimaev, Tony Ferguson steps in to replace the third-ranked welterweight in the main event.

*Khamzat Chimaev vs Kevin Holland

Rising welterweight star Khamzat Chimaev puts his unbeaten record on the line against a man looking to continue to make a name for himself in the welterweight division in Kevin Holland during this five-round co-main event inside T-Mobile Arena.

Undefeated in 11 professional starts and entering off a crucial unanimous decision win over Gilbert Burns in April, Chimaev now gets the opportunity to headline an event and potentially compete over five rounds for the first time. After storming through the competition in his first four UFC assignments, the fight with Burns at UFC 273 proved he was mortal, but also that he could navigate his way through a grueling, back-and-forth affair.

In Vegas For UFC 279? Here's What's Going On For Fight Week!

Following a breakout campaign in 2020 that saw him win five fights in seven months, Holland ran into struggles in 2021, resulting in two lopsided losses and a no contest verdict in a fight with Kyle Daukaus, all of which prompted him to decamp for the welterweight division. Since arriving, the 29-year-old “Trailblazer” has collected a pair of stoppage wins over veteran mainstays Alex Oliveira and Tim Means to rekindle thoughts that he’s a contender in the making.

The man come to be known as "Big Mouth" has an incredible opportunity on the line while having the chance to make a serious statement against Khamzat Chimaev.

*Due to weight management issues, Khamzat Chimaev will now face Kevin Holland in a five-round catchweight (180) co-main event.

*Li Jingliang vs Daniel Rodriguez

The main card rolls on with an important matchup in the bantamweight division, as Irene Aldana faces off with former TUF winner Macy Chiasson.

The 34-year-old Aldana returns for the first time since registering a first-round stoppage win over Yana Kunitskaya at UFC 264, in a bout where she missed weight by a considerable margin. She’s 3-1 in her last four outings, including a first-round knockout of Ketlen Vieira, and once again feels on the precipice of submitting her name for title consideration.

All things considered, Chiasson has had a pretty typical go of things since winning the featherweight competition on Season 28 of The Ultimate Fighter. She’s earned five wins in seven starts, stumbling against more seasoned opposition, but continually shows improvements, as you would hope to see from someone that is just now 11 fights into their career.

Things at the top of the bantamweight division are still a little uncertain at the moment, as no one is quite sure what is going to come next for two-time champ Amanda Nunes. While it might be a bit of a stretch, a dominant effort for either woman in this contest could put them in the thick of the chase, so expect to see the very best of both Aldana and Chiasson this weekend at T-Mobile Arena.

Johnny Walker vs Ion Cutelaba

All-action light heavyweights kick off the main card as Johnny Walker collides with Ion Cutelaba.

Three years ago, Walker was the talk of the division — a rising star on a three-fight winning streak where each performance was better than the last. He was charismatic and creative in the cage, with a massive smile, an unorthodox approach, and undeniable power. Since then, however, it’s been a tough road for the 30-year-old Brazilian, as he’s dropped two fights on either side of his win over Ryan Spann, and enters this one still looking to recapture some of that early momentum.

Has anyone had a more frenetic, more chaotic 12-fight run in the UFC than Cutelaba? The 28-year-old bundle of angst and energy touches down at UFC 279 with a 5-6-1 record in the Octagon that includes various weigh-in tussles, some moments where he looks like a burgeoning contender, and his “I was just pretending to be hurt” loss and subsequent legitimate knockout loss to Magomed Ankalaev.

Both Walker and Cutelaba are guaranteed excitement when they compete individually, and I can only imagine what kind of chaos will ensure when they hit the Octagon together on Saturday night.

In a bout being held at a catchweight of 220 pounds, ascending Brazilian Jailton Almeida and newcomer Anton Turkalj square off in an intriguing fixture.

Almeida’s rookie campaign in the UFC began in February with a light heavyweight win over Danilo Marques, but got more intriguing when he ventured up to heavyweight and stormed through Parker Porter in May, extending his overall winning streak to 11 in the process. Now he’s committed to fighting in the big boy ranks and staring down an opportunity to punch his ticket to the Top 15, all before the one-year anniversary of the Dana White’s Contender Series win that resulted in his earning a UFC contract.

Speaking of the Contender Series, Sweden’s Turkalj didn’t get a contract when he defeated Acacio Dos Santos in Season Six’ opening week in July, but he did get a decision win to extend his record to 8-0 with seven finishes, so when Shamil Abdurakhimov was forced out of this weekend’s bout, the 26-year-old got the call. And while it’s a tough test to say the least, Turkalj now has his foot in the door with the opportunity to kick it down at T-Mobile Arena.

Heavyweights also occupy the opening slot on Saturday’s televised prelims, as Jake Collier and Chris Barnett face off in what promises to be a slobberknocker for as long as it lasts.

Collier has alternated losses and wins throughout the entirety of his UFC career, carrying a 5-6 mark into UFC 279 after dropping a debated split decision to Andrei Arlovski last time out. The former middleweight and light heavyweight has shown flashes since returning from a nearly three-year hiatus and looks to put things together with more consistency starting with this fight on Saturday night.

UFC 279 FREE FIGHTS: Tony Ferguson vs Katsunori Kikuno | Li Jingliang vs Muslim Salikhov | Khamzat Chimaev vs Gilbert Burns | Khamzat Chimaev vs Li Jingliang | Nate Diaz vs Cowboy Cerrone | Nate Diaz vs Conor McGregor

A long-time favorite of hardcore fans, Barnett finally got the chance to compete in the UFC for the first time last spring, losing by submission to Ben Rothwell. He rebounded with a tremendous showing against Gian Villante at Madison Square Garden.

He dropped his last outing to Martin Buday and, like Collier, aims to begin putting forth more consistent results with a return to the win column here.

Norma Dumont vs Danyelle Wolf

Bantamweights Chad Angeliger and Alatangheili clash on the early prelims in what should be an ultra-competitive, highly entertaining battle between two veteran competitors.

Anheliger took a long, winding, difficult road to the UFC, cobbling together an eight-fight winning streak following a 2-5 start to his career to land an opportunity on Dana White’s Contender Series. A hard-fought win over highly regarded Muin Gafurov resulted in a shot to compete in the Octagon, and the Alberta native made the most of it, collecting a third-round stoppage win over Jesse Strader in his promotional debut in February.

Li Jingliang | Top 5 Moments

Five fights into his UFC tenure, Mongolia’s Alatangheili is 3-1-1 and coming off his most impressive performance to date — a first-round knockout win over Kevin Croom in April. The 30-year-old logged a lot of appearances early in his career and like Anheliger, was saddled with a less-than-inspiring record at different points, but he’s gone 11-2-2 over his last 15 fights and looks to be hitting his stride inside the Octagon.

This should be a lot of fun, as Anheliger is a crafty veteran playing with house money at this stage of his career, and “The Mongolian Knight” is a powerhouse for the division with designs on continuing to climb the rankings. Settle in and don’t miss a second of this one on Saturday night.

Melissa Martinez vs Elise Reed

Welterweight still in search of their initial UFC victory meet in Saturday’s opener, as Darian Weeks faces off with Contender Series alum Yohan Lainesse.

Weeks has given a solid accounting of himself through his first two UFC starts, unanimous decision losses to Bryan Barberena (on short notice) and Ian Machado Garry. Originally scheduled to face kickboxer Cedric Doumbe in Paris last weekend, he shifts back Stateside in hopes that the third time is the charm as he squares off with Lainesse this weekend in Las Vegas.

Lainesse won the CFFC welterweight title with a second-round stoppage win over Evan Cutts last summer, and then followed it up with a first-round knockout win over Justin Burlinson in front of UFC President Dana White to earn his place on the roster. He landed on the wrong side of a stoppage last time out against Gabe Green, and aims to rebound from his first career loss with haste on Saturday.