A trio of bouts has recently joined UFC’s September 10th pay-per-view event. The fights are now a part of UFC 279, which doesn’t have a set location at the moment.
Walker To Return Against Cutelaba
Notable light heavyweight Johnny Walker will attempt to snap a losing streak in September when he faces Ion Cutelaba. News of the matchup was confirmed by Nolan King of MMA Junkie last week.
Walker has recently suffered a pair of losses in high-profile bouts. His last fight saw him lose a main event to Jamahal Hill in February, getting stopped in the first round with strikes.
Walker’s prior bout was also in a headlining spot, dropping a unanimous decision to Thiago Santos. The UFC vet has now lost four of his last five fights.
Cutelaba will be fighting to come back from just one defeat. That loss came in May when Ryan Spann submitted him early with a guillotine choke.
Pickett, Tiuliulin Moved
A previously attempted fight between Jamie Pickett and Denis Tiuliulin now has a new home on the UFC 279 lineup per Nolan King of MMA Junkie.
The middleweights were first set to appear at UFC’s July 9th show, but that booking didn’t end up happening.
Pickett had a busy start to his year, scoring a win and a loss in the first two months of the year. Now after a few months off, he’ll be fighting to bounce back from a defeat he suffered against Kyle Daukaus.
Tiuliulin will be competing for his first UFC win. He had an unsuccessful promotional debut in March, getting submitted by Aliaskhab Khizriev.
Barnett, Collier To Meet At Heavyweight
Heavyweights Chris Barnett and Jake Collier will attempt to turn things around at UFC 279. The pairing, which was confirmed Tuesday, was first reported by Nolan King of MMA Junkie.
Both fighters are coming off recent losses.
Barnett suffered defeat in April, as Martin Buday earned a technical decision over him. His previous bout is his sole UFC win thus far, stopping Gian Villante with strikes in November 2021.
Collier has flipped between winning and losing since joining the UFC roster in 2014. He went the distance against veteran Andrei Arlovski in his last bout, losing in the end.
Updated Card
It was reported last week that undefeated Khamzat Chimaev is scheduled to face Nate Diaz in the main event of UFC 279. Here is how the show looks currently:
Bout 5: Khamzat Chimaev (11-0) vs. Nate Diaz (20-13) (Welterweight)
Bout 4: Norma Dumont (7-2) vs. Danyelle Wolf (1-0) (Featherweight)
Bout 3: Johnny Walker (18-7) vs. Ion Cutelaba (16-7-1) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 2: Jamie Pickett (13-7) vs. Denis Tiuliulin (10-6) (Middleweight)
Bout 1: Jake Collier (13-7) vs. Chris Barnett (22-8) (Heavyweight)
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