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Why You Need to Watch Undefeated Khamzat Chimaev Take on Nate Diaz at UFC 279

Lucas Coll
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This Saturday, undefeated rising star Khamzat Chimaev is facing down MMA legend Nate Diaz in the Octagon at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. UFC 279: Chimaev vs. Diaz is the MMA league’s big pay-per-view event for September, but it’s fairly unique in that there are no championship belts on the line this time. Instead, the main event is a showdown between Diaz and Chimaev, two top-tier fighters on the UFC welterweight roster, with another welterweight bout between Li Jingliang and Tony Ferguson serving as the co-main. This isn’t an event you’ll want to miss, so read on to learn more about the fighters and how you can watch the UFC 279 live stream online this weekend.

Nate Diaz is a fighter who needs no introduction to fans of mixed martial arts. The 37-year-old southpaw has been fighting with the UFC since 2007 and currently holds a professional record of 20 wins and 13 losses. Although his record is not the most impressive at first glance and he has never held a mainline UFC championship, Diaz is a highly regarded fighter as well as a big fan favorite for his ability to go the distance in the Octagon. He most recently faced Leon Edwards at UFC 263 in June of last year, where a bloodied Diaz put on a great show but ultimately lost by unanimous decision.

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The seasoned UFC veteran will be facing Khamzat Chimaev, an undefeated fighter who is a rising star in welterweight ranks. Chimaev, born in Chechnya and now fighting out of Sweden, boasts a spotless professional MMA record of 11-0. The Chechen has been wrestling since he was 5 and makes heavy use of freestyle wrestling in his fighting style. He began fighting with the UFC in 2020, and has racked up five straight wins since then, his most recent victory coming via unanimous decision over Gilbert Burns at UFC 273 in April. This earned him the Fight of the Night award, and he is currently the strong favorite to win against Diaz at UFC 279.

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The co-headliner on the main card features another UFC welterweight legend, Tony Ferguson, who will be fighting Chinese martial artist Li Jingliang. Ferguson is a household name in the league but has had a hard time lately, having lost his last four fights (one of which was a contest for the interim UFC Lightweight Championship against Justin Gaethje). Ferguson last faced Michael Chandler at UFC 274, where, despite losing via a brutal front-kick KO, he performed admirably and was in good form in the Octagon. He’ll no doubt be looking to prove he’s still got it at UFC 279.

If you want to watch the UFC 274 live stream online, though, then you’ll need to sign up for ESPN+ if you haven’t already and grab the pay-per-view. New subscribers can get a one-year ESPN+ membership along with the UFC 274 PPV for just $125 (a $50 discount); otherwise, existing ESPN+ members will have to pay $75 for the pay-per-view ticket. However, you may still be able to save by upgrading to the Disney Bundle, which gets you ESPN+, Disney+, and basic Hulu for just $14 per month — that’s more than a 25% savings. The UFC 274 main event begins at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

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