A mouth-watering match-up between Nate Diaz and Khamzat Chimaev is to headline UFC 279 in September.
ESPN reported the news late on Tuesday, with UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell telling the outlet that both fighters have verbally agreed to the bout. Contracts have not yet been signed. The clash will headline the September 10 card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
One of the most popular fighters in the sport, Diaz has been campaigning for much of the past year for the UFC to book the final fight on his contract. ESPN reported that discussions had taken place regarding a new deal, but that Diaz, 37, was adamant he wanted to leave the company for now.
The American, whose professional record reads 20-13, last fought in June last year – a decision defeat to welterweight title challenger Leon Edwards. Zach Rosenfield, Diaz's representative, told ESPN on Tuesday that Chimaev “is a fight Nate has been asking for since the middle of April”.
Meanwhile, Chimaev has become one of the sport’s marquee names despite making his debut in July 2020, during Fight Island in Abu Dhabi. The Chechnyan-born athlete, who fights out of Sweden, is 11-0 as a pro, and most recently came through a Fight of the Year Contender against Gilbert Burns at UFC 273 in April. Chimaev is 5-0 in the UFC, with three of those wins coming in the UAE capital.
In a statement provided to ESPN on Tuesday, Chimaev said: “I am going to handle Nate Diaz's funeral with the UFC.”
Given developments, the bantamweight title bout between champion Aljamain Sterling and TJ Dillashaw has been moved from UFC 279. Reports suggest Sterling-Dillashaw could now take place at UFC 280 in Abu Dhabi on October 22, though the UFC has yet to confirm.
FULL%20FIGHT%20CARD
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
SCHEDULE
Thursday, December 6
08.00-15.00 Technical scrutineering
15.00-17.00 Extra free practice
Friday, December 7
09.10-09.30 F4 free practice
09.40-10.00 F4 time trials
10.15-11.15 F1 free practice
14.00 F4 race 1
15.30 BRM F1 qualifying
Saturday, December 8
09.10-09.30 F4 free practice
09.40-10.00 F4 time trials
10.15-11.15 F1 free practice
14.00 F4 race 2
15.30 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More on Quran memorisation:
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
More from Neighbourhood Watch
Who are the Soroptimists?
The first Soroptimists club was founded in Oakland, California in 1921. The name comes from the Latin word soror which means sister, combined with optima, meaning the best.
The organisation said its name is best interpreted as ‘the best for women’.
Since then the group has grown exponentially around the world and is officially affiliated with the United Nations. The organisation also counts Queen Mathilde of Belgium among its ranks.
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