SALT LAKE CITY – Dana White previously said more notable names were in the works for UFC 279 and he announced two of them Saturday.
Former interim UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag] (25-7 MMA, 15-5 UFC) will move up to welterweight to fight [autotag]Li Jingliang[/autotag] (19-7 MMA, 11-5 UFC), White told MMA Junkie at a news conference after UFC 278 at Vivint Arena.
“Oh, he didn’t say who he’s fighting?” White said. “We’ll let you know soon. Ah, it’s done. It’s ‘Leech.'”
UFC 279 takes place Sept. 10 at T-Mobile Arena. The main card streams on ESPN+ pay-per-view after prelims on ESPN/ESPN+. The event is currently headlined by Khamzat Chimaev vs. Nate Diaz.
Ferguson alluded to a booking in a tweet Saturday.
Guess🥜What?!? – Champ 🥇
-CSO- 🇺🇸🏆🇲🇽 @danawhite @ufc pic.twitter.com/WlZMlvmkhB— Tony Ferguson (@TonyFergusonXT) August 20, 2022
Ferguson, 38, will make a four-month turnaround after a brutal knockout loss to Michael Chandler. The defeat was his fourth consecutive after three other losses to Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira and Beneil Dariush. The bout will be Ferguson’s first at welterweight since he defeated Ramsey Nijem at the TUF 14 Finale.
Jingliang, 34, competed most recently in July when he finished Muslim Salikhov with strikes. He’s 2-1 in his most recent three, also including a loss to Khamzat Chimaev and a win over Santiago Ponzinibbio.
With the addition, the UFC 279 lineup includes:
- Khamzat Chimaev vs. Nate Diaz
- Tony Ferguson vs. Li Jingliang
- Shamil Abdurakhimov vs. Jailton Almeida
- Norma Dumont vs. Danyelle Wolf
- Irene Aldana vs. Macy Chiasson
- Denis Tiuliulin vs. Jamie Pickett
- Heili Alateng vs. Chad Anheliger
- Melissa Martinez vs. Elise Reed
- Ion Cutelaba vs. Johnny Walker
- Chris Barnett vs. Jake Collier
- Hakeem Dawodu vs. Julian Erosa
- Yohan Lainesse vs. Darian Weeks
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 279.
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