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Khamzat Chimaev and Nate Diaz didn't end up fighting, but at UFC 279, both guys had the most memorable nights of their lives. The last three fights of the night were forced to be swapped around when Borz weighed in at 178.5 pounds to get into the fight.
In his last fight of UFC, The Stockton Native ended up facing former interim champion Tony Ferguson who returned to the welterweight division with the hope of snapping his losing streak. Nobody expected this to be how the pay-per-view event would end. But in the headliner of UFC 279, Nate Diaz added another guillotine submission win to his record by defeating Tony Ferguson in the fourth round.
An exciting night of fighting had a suitable conclusion. It was a significant victory for Diaz because he got to put on a thrilling battle with Ferguson that featured lots of punching, taunting, and, of course, the guillotine choke that Diaz used to submit to numerous opponents. Later in the post-fight conference, Tony Ferguson admitted that he regrets his late takedown attempt and that he should have kept standing.
Khamzat Chimaev dominated in the cage on Saturday despite losing on the scale on Friday. Borz defeated Kevin Holland in the first round by submission to extend his winning streak. At the start of the round, when Holland reached for the gloves, he jumped on the takedown. After then, there was a mad dash until Chimaev applied the choke. Although the D'Arce choke wasn't quite effective the first time, Chimaev changed his grasp and eventually got Holland to submit.
The major news here is the serious mistake Chimaev made by exceeding the 171-pound limit at welterweight by 7.5 pounds. It would be fascinating to see if Chimaev receives a championship opportunity next after the error cost him the chance to compete in the main event versus Nate Diaz. He undoubtedly has the abilities, but he must demonstrate that he can make the required weight. Although the Swede made it clear in the post-fight conference that whether it's welterweight or middleweight division, he demanded the top fights so that he could grab UFC gold.
Li Jingliang was forced to face Daniel Rodriguez in the 3rd contest of the night despite the American having the weight advantage as he was scheduled to face Kevin Holland in a catchweight bout. The fight was closely contested, and Rodriguez won on a split decision. Rodriguez got things going quickly. He started off getting in Jingliang's face and quickly gained the upper hand. Jingliang, though, countered with several of his leg kicks. The scoring for all three rounds was challenging because both fighters had their moments, and the overall striking totals were close.
In the 2nd fight of the main card, Irene Aldana achieved one of the most unusual knockouts you'll ever see against Macy Chiasson. In a crucial third round, Aldana was on her back when she fired an upkick to the liver that abruptly put an end to the contest. Aldana threatened with submission in the opening round, which she certainly won, and came close to being tapped. However, Chiasson owned the second round to create a winner-take-all scenario in the final round.
In the very first fight, the 6'6" Walker used his length to his advantage and applied a rear-naked choke in the first round. Early in the bout, Cutelaba secured a takedown and was working from the top position, but Walker snatched his opponent's back and repeatedly attempted the choke before finally forcing the tap.