The Ultimate Fighting Championship headed back to T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada tonight for UFC 279: “Diaz vs Ferguson.” After multiple late changes to the main card yesterday, the event was now headlined by a welterweight bout between Nate Diaz and Tony “El Cucuy” Ferguson.

In the 180-pound co-feature, Khamzat “Borz” Chimaev, who was first set to face Diaz in the headliner, instead took on Kevin “Trailblazer” Holland. Also at 180 pounds, Jingliang “The Leech” Li squared off against Daniel “D-Rod” Rodriguez. MMARising.com has live play-by-play for the UFC 279 card.

Nate Diaz vs Tony “El Cucuy” Ferguson

Round 1:
Diaz immediately closed the distance with lead right hooks and Ferguson threw a spinning back elbow in return. Diaz remained the aggressor and he pressed forward with jabs and lead right hands. Ferguson kicked at Diaz’s right leg and Diaz continued to jab. He followed with a quick combination and a front kick. Ferguson landed another leg kick and a lead left hook. Diaz fired back with a looping left and he finished the round with a one-two combo. 10-9 Diaz.

Round 2:
Ferguson established his jab in the second round and he used it to set up right hands while also switching stances frequently. He landed a leg kick and Diaz cut him near his right eye with a jab-cross combo. Ferguson resumed throwing jabs and a body kick, but Diaz backed him up with a lead right hook and a straight left. Ferguson began to bleed more heavily from beside his eye. He chopped away at Diaz’s right leg with two more kicks. Close second round. 10-9 Ferguson.

Round 3:
Ferguson attacked Diaz’s damaged right leg with more kicks in round three and Diaz began to walk around the outer ring of the cage while looking away from Ferguson. The fighters re-engaged and Ferguson landed a flurry. Diaz answered with one of his best combinations of the fight, then went back to taunting. Ferguson landed a leg kick and a step-in right hand. Diaz ran after him and landed three right hooks as Ferguson circled away. Ferguson missed with a spinning backfist and Diaz cracked him with a body kick. Diaz finished a four-punch combo with another kick to the body. Ferguson landed a leg kick and Diaz fired back with three punches. Another close round. 10-9 Diaz due to the second-half rally.

Round 4:
The fourth round began with Ferguson landing an early leg kick. Diaz used his jab to set up a left cross, then wobbled Ferguson with a second one-two combo. Ferguson recovered, but Diaz closed in with a flurry of hooks and uppercuts. Ferguson landed a left hook to the liver and a sweeping leg kick. Diaz answered with jabs and two left hooks. Ferguson took him down, but Diaz immediately locked on a tight guillotine choke. Ferguson had nowhere to go and quickly tapped out.

Winner: Nate Diaz by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 2:52 of round four. He improves to 21-13-0.

Khamzat “Borz” Chimaev vs Kevin “Trailblazer” Holland

Round 1:
Chimaev immediately took Holland down, but Holland got back to his feet and Chimaev dragged him down a second time. Holland stood and Chimaev pulled him down into a Brabo choke. Holland escaped twice, but Chimaev tightened the choke a third time and Holland was forced to submit.

Winner: Khamzat Chimaev by Submission (Brabo Choke) at 2:13 of round one. He improves to 12-0-0.

Daniel “D-Rod” Rodriguez vs Jingliang “The Leech” Li

Round 1:
Rodriguez landed an early body kick and he kicked at Li’s lead leg as well. Li landed a right cross and Rodriguez backed him up with a short right hook. Li connected with a right hand and a body kick, then landed a second kick to the body. Rodriguez responded with a head kick that was partially blocked. Both men threw leg kicks at the same time and Rodriguez landed a hard jab. He grazed with a spinning back elbow and switched stances. Li landed a strong leg kick and an overhand right. Competitive opening round. 10-9 Rodriguez.

Round 2:
Li attacked Rodriguez’s leg with kicks in the second round and Rodriguez jabbed. Li stepped in with a one-two combo and Rodriguez landed a solid leg kick. He landed another kick to Li’s upper body, but Li immediately answered with two leg kicks and a straight right. He backed Rodriguez up with a left hook and a straight right. Rodriguez landed a leg kick and a head kick, but Li caught it and dumped him to the mat. Another close round. 10-9 Li.

Round 3:
Li landed a lead left hook and a right hand to the body to begin round three. He threw a trio of winging overhand punches, but Rodriguez stayed out of range and jabbed. More jabs landed for Rodriguez as the round progressed. With 90 seconds to go, Li landed a lunging right hook. Rodriguez continued to find success with his jab, which he used to back Li up. Li ducked under a head kick from Rodriguez and he landed a right hand late in the fight. 10-9 Rodriguez. Decision could go either way.

Winner: Daniel Rodriguez by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. He improves to 17-2-0.

Irene Aldana vs Macy Chiasson

Round 1:
Aldana landed three leg kicks in the first minute and Chiasson clinched. Aldana circled away and Chiasson threw a one-two. Aldana connected with a right cross and the fighters traded leg kicks. Aldana stuffed a takedown and she landed a knee to Chiasson’s body on the break. Aldana stunned Chiasson with a right cross and Chiasson backed away to her right. She attempted a head kick that missed and Aldana cracked her with two more right hands. Chiasson attempted a takedown and Aldana reversed into back control. She transitioned to an armbar, then a straight armbar, but Chiasson escaped. Aldana tried for a keylock and finished the round with four right hands to Chiasson’s face. 10-9 Aldana.

Round 2:
Chiasson walked forward aggressively with left hands in the second round, but Aldana ducked under and countered with two straight rights. Chiason took her down and Aldana immediately attacked with an Achilles lock that she used to take top position. Chiasson held on to Aldana’s back as Aldana maintained her grip on Chiasson’s right leg. Aldana threw elbows behind her back to Chiasson’s face. Chiasson got to her feet and then took Aldana down into back control. She punched and elbowed the side of Aldana’s head. Aldana tried in vain to turn into Chiasson’s guard, but the body triangle prevented her from doing so. Chiasson landed more elbows to Aldana’s temple and then mounted her. As Chiasson rained down elbows, Aldana rolled to her side and managed to get back to half-guard in the process. The round ended with Chiasson trying to set up a shoulder choke. 10-9 Chiasson.

Round 3:
Aldana landed a right cross and Chiasson answered with a straight left before attempting a head kick that was blocked. Chiasson landed an overhand left and she took Aldana down. Aldana kicked Chiasson off and one kick landed to Chiasson’s liver. She crumpled to the mat and the fight was stopped.

Winner: Irene Aldana by KO (Upkick To The Body) at 2:21 of round three. She improves to 14-6-0.

Johnny Walker vs Ion “The Hulk” Cutelaba

Round 1:
Cutelaba caught a kick and took Walker down early in the opening round. He threw short strikes from the top and tried unsuccessfully to pass Walker’s guard. Cutelaba eventually transitioned to an armbar in a scramble, but Walker avoided danger and took his back as the fighters stood up. Walker slammed Cutelaba down and attempted two rear-naked chokes. Cutelaba fought them off until Walker adjusted his grip and locked on a final one with his forearm under the chin. Cutelaba held on initially before reluctantly tapping out.

Winner: Johnny Walker by Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 4:37 of round one. He improves to 19-7-0.

(Undercard results and play-by-play on Page Two.)