UFC 279 lineup bulks up with Tony Ferguson moving to welterweight vs. Li Jingliang, Dana White says
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 Tony Ferguson (25-7 MMA, 15-5 UFC) will move up to welterweight to fight Li Jingliang (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.