The MMA Vivisection – UFC 279: Chimaev vs. Diaz picks, odds, & analysis

The UFC is back again on PPV this week, but it doesn’t feel like the matchmakers got the memo. UFC 279 is headlined by…

By: Zane Simon | 9 months ago
The MMA Vivisection – UFC 279: Chimaev vs. Diaz picks, odds, & analysis
Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

The UFC is back again on PPV this week, but it doesn’t feel like the matchmakers got the memo. UFC 279 is headlined by a much-maligned bout between Nate Diaz and Khamzat Chimaev—a fight that seems primed to send Diaz packing from the promotion with a swift kick in the ass. In the co-main, former interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson tries his hand at welterweight against China Top Team star Li Jingliang. At least the catchweight bout between Kevin Holland and Daniel Rodriguez has all the look of a fascinating challenge.

June M. Williams

For fans interested in diving deeper into the undercard, check out the prelims Vivi below.

The MMA Vivisection is brought to you by ‘The Fine Art of Violence’, a collection of art and essays recapping the year in MMA by Chris Rini, featuring the most talented artists and writers in Mixed Martial Arts. The book is available in both hard copy and digital formats at chrisrini.com.

Here’s a look at the UFC 279 fight card as it stood at the time of recording (8/31/22):

PPV MAIN CARD | 10pm/7pm ET&PT
Khamzat Chimaev vs. Nate Diaz — At 6:42, Odds 11:47, Picks, Both: Chimaev
Li Jingliang vs. Tony Ferguson — At 15:39, Odds 25:21, Picks, Both: Jingliang
Irene Aldana vs. Macy ChiassonAt 26:00, Odds 30:32, Picks, Both: Aldana
Johnny Walker vs. Ion CutelabaAt 31:56, Odds 40:51, Picks, Both: Cutelaba
Kevin Holland vs. Daniel Rodriguez — At 41:40, Odds 52:51, Picks, Both: Rodriguez

ESPN NEWS PRELIMS | 8pm/5pm ET&PT
Hakeem Dawodu vs. Julian ErosaAt 1:05, Odds 13:21, Picks, Both: Dawodu
Jailton Almeida vs. Anton TurkaljAt 13:54, Odds 20:15, Picks, Both: Almeida
Denis Tiuliulin vs. Jamie PickettAt 20:39, Odds 24:58, Picks, Both: Tiuliulin
Jake Collier vs. Chris BarnettAt 26:31, Odds , Picks, Both: Collier

ESPN+ PRELIMS | 6pm/3pm ET&PT
Norma Dumont vs. Danyelle WolfAt 34:44, Odds 40:11, Picks, Both: Dumont
Chad Anheliger vs. Alateng Heili — At 41:57, Odds 44:27, Picks, Both: Heili
Melissa Martinez vs. Elise ReedAt 45:21, Odds 49:33, Picks, Zane: Reed, Connor: Martinez
Darian Weeks vs. Yohan Lainesse — At 51:00, Odds 55:53, Picks, Both: Lainesse

For those of you following the picks made on the show, we started tracking them with the July 13th, 2020 Vivisection shows for UFC Fight Island 1: ‘Kattar vs. Ige’. So far, here are the overall standings:

  • Zane went 11/12 for 91.7%, while Connor went 8/12 for 66.7% for our last event, UFC Paris: Gane vs. Tuivasa.
  • Zane is now at 714/1101 for 64.9% and Connor is now at 671/1101 for 60.9% overall from UFC Fight Island 1 through UFC Paris.
  • Zane is at 245/364 for 67.3% and Connor is at 229/364 for 62.9% so far for 2022.
  • Zane went 305/493 for 62% and Connor went 285/493 for 58% for 2021.
  • Zane went 164/244 for 67% and Connor went 157/244 for 64% for July-Dec 2020.
    Reference: Vivi Picks Stats_9.8.22.pdf

If you enjoy our variety of shows, give us a shout out in the comments here on Bloody Elbow, and give us a “like”, share & subscribe on your BE Presents Podcast platform of choice: SoundCloud, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn, OverCast, Player FM, & Amazon Music – For previous episodes, check out our playlists on any of our BE Presents channels. Check out the new MMA Vivi Facebook Page, where the shows always drop an hour earlier than they do anywhere else on the network, be sure to “Like”, Follow, Share — At: https://www.facebook.com/TheMMAVivi.


UPDATE:



LIVE! Watch UFC 286 PPV On ESPN+ Here!

CHAMPIONSHIP TRILOGY! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to The O2 in London England, on Sat., March 18, 2023, with newly-minted Welterweight kingpin, Leon Edwards, running it back with former 170-pound champion, Kamaru Usman, for a third (and likely final) time. In UFC 286’s pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event, all-action Lightweight knockout artists, Justin Gaethje and Rafael Fiziev, will lock horns with the winner inching closer to a future Lightweight title shot.

Don’t miss a single second of EPIC face-punching action!

Share this story

About the author
Zane Simon
Zane Simon

Zane Simon is a senior editor, writer, and podcaster for Bloody Elbow. He has worked with the website since 2013, taking on a wide variety of roles. A lifelong combat sports fan, Zane has trained off & on in both boxing and Muay Thai. He currently hosts the long-running MMA Vivisection podcast, which he took over from Nate Wilcox & Dallas Winston in 2015, as well as the 6th Round podcast, started in 2014. Zane is also responsible for developing and maintaining the ‘List of current UFC fighters’ on Bloody Elbow, a resource he originally developed for Wikipedia in 2010.

More from the author

Related Stories