What is the likely fight card for UFC 279?
According to multiple sources, UFC 279 is supposedly being scheduled for September 10 with Atlanta or Boston as possible locations. Although the main card for the event is yet to be officially revealed, several possible fights have been speculated by various sources.
The bantamweight title fight between champion Aljamain Sterling and former champion T.J. Dillashaw is reportedly in the works for the event based on a report by MMA Junkie.
Check out the tweet below:
Aljamain Sterling vs. T.J. Dillashaw in the works for the upcoming #UFC279 pay-per-view on September 10, per multiple sources.
Full story coming to @MMAFighting. First reported by @MMAJunkie
In the heavyweight division, Jailton Almeida will take on the No. 12 ranked contender Shamil Abdurakhimov as per a post on Almeida's Instagram. The fight card will also reportedly feature a bout between strawweight Hannah Cifers and Melissa Martinez as per MMA Junkie.
In another fight predicted on the card, the No.15 ranked women's featherweight contender Norma Dumont will take on debutant and former three-time US national champion boxer Danyelle Wolf at the event. .
Danyelle Wolf will fight Norma Dumont at UFC event on September 10th. (per @AgFight) #UFC #MMA #UFCESPN https://t.co/VJyeuJT7UZ
A flyweight clash between Mexican fighter Victor Altamirano and Brazilian Daniel da Silva is also speculated to have been slated to take place during the event.
J.Hadley out. Victor Altamirano will now fight Daniel da Silva at #UFC279 on September 10th. (first rep. @CCLegaspi) #UFC #MMA #UFCESPN https://t.co/vN0ZOEd4gJ
Aljamain Sterling on why he is yet to sign the contract for UFC 279
UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling has revealed that he is yet to sign a contract for the UFC 279 fight. Sterling, through his YouTube channel, said that he was hoping to get a pay increase before committing to the event:
"These is no fight until there is ink on paper. And as of right now my contract is excalty the same. And usually when its not a title fight and you win the fight there is an escalator. There has been no escalator in this fight. I like to think that I played my part, did the right things and even allowed myself to be the bad guy in the last outing with Petr Yan and helped play up the storyline. As of now I'm training hoping that we come to some type of agreement to give some type of pay bump, which naturally happens in all the contracts."
Watch Aljamain Sterling addressing the pay issue:
'Funk Master' further stated that any UFC fighter who climbs through the ranks gets a "pay bump."
According to the 32-year-old even though he has always been a company man, he also needs to look out for his best interests. The bantamweight champion also clarified that neither he nor his managers have had any official word with the promotion about the event so far.