With UFC 278 done and dusted, and with a new Welterweight king crowned, fight fans look towards September’s UFC 279. Headlined by a peculiar matchup between Khamzat Chimaev and UFC vet Nate Diaz, UFC fans wonder if there is much meat to the upcoming Vegas PPV event.
Anyone with a finger in the game knows that regardless of whether or not a card is full of big names, the sport of MMA is so unpredictable that one might never know what’s around the corner – not even the UFC betting sites. You may not recognise many names on a card and want to skip out on it, but you might be skipping out on a night of beautiful violence.
With that in mind, let’s take a quick look at the upcoming UFC 279 card and predict the biggest upsets that could come from the event.
Chiasson Skips The Line
The UFC’s women’s bantamweight division still has the potential to be an exciting one. Despite bantamweight queen Amanda Nunes taking back her crown from Juliana Peña, the ladies of the division continue to have the drive for UFC gold. Tenth-ranked Macy Chiasson may just find herself grabbing the next title shot very soon.
The Louisianian fighter stepped up to the plate, taking a fight against number four Irene Aldana after earning a split decision win against Norma Dumont back in May. This is the first fight Chiasson has had against a top 10 opponent, and a W here would shoot her straight into the top five – with a high possibility of gaining the next title shot.
Diaz Retires With a Dub
Possibly the biggest potential upset at the upcoming UFC 279 would be if Diaz pulls himself together for one final spectacular win before he leaves the organization. The UFC vet is going up against third-ranked Chimaev on a two-loss streak and a year out of the Octagon. A nine-year age gap aside, Chimaev is coming into this bout on an incredible 11-fight win streak.
The odds may very well be against the younger Diaz brother, but we’ve seen him pull some incredible things in the past. The least of Diaz’s incredible record was submitting Conor McGregor back in 2016, giving the Irishman his first L since he joined the UFC. Whichever way the bout may go, fight fans will be sure to be able to enjoy one last bout of violence from Nate before he leaves his UFC gloves in the Octagon.
What’s Coming to UFC 279
There’s plenty to complain about regarding the next UFC pay-per-view event, but there’s even more to get excited for. The return of Chris Barnett after his technical loss in April, Johnny Walker with the potential to come off of a two-fight slump, or even just the possibility that the UFC will finally fill out the rankings of the women’s featherweight division – all exciting possibilities that could come from the event.
Plus, it being the final fight of the younger of the Diaz brothers, a pioneer of what the UFC is today, fight fans should give him a big farewell – one Nate Diaz definitely deserves.
But, best of all, it’ll be another night of sanctioned violence. And what fight fan doesn’t love watching a bit of violence on the weekend?
UFC 279 will be broadcast live on September 10th.
