UFC 279 Full Card Predictions, Previews, Live Odds and Betting Lines

The main card of UFC 279 went through a complete re-shaping and instead of the original main, co-main, and featured fights, we have three new ones after the 6 fighters agreed to the suggested rotations. We now have Diaz vs Ferguson, Chimaev vs Holland, and Jingliang vs Rodriguez. Here are our predictions for the UFC 279 full card.

UFC 279 Full Card Predictions

Chad Anheliger vs Alateng Heili (Bantamweight Bout)

Chad Anheliger Preview

Chad prefers to fight on the stand. He aggressively pursues opponents and shoots them at speed, pouring damage on different levels. I will note the knockout power of the fighter: he is able to seriously shake the opponent with one precise hit. 7 out of 12 victories he won by knockouts.

On the ground, the Canadian constantly makes mistakes. Trying to get into a comfortable position, he can surrender positions. All of his losses were by submission.

Alateng Heili Preview

Alateng is a versatile fighter. He prefers to study the opponent on the go and adapt to what is happening in the octagon and impose his own style, in which he mixes striking and wrestling techniques well.

Haley cannot always adapt to an opponent, which is why he looks passive. In the fight against Casey Kenny, he did not keep up with his opponent and was completely defeated on all levels. Moreover, the Chinese seriously dipped in cardio in the last five minutes.

Anheliger vs Heili Prediction

I don't understand why Heili is such a serious favorite. His latest victory should not be alluring. Kevin spent 4 fights in the UFC: 3 lost, and 1 was declared invalid. A victory over an opponent of this level will not add weight to any fighter.

Otherwise, Alateng is complete mediocrity. He can do everything, but his performance is below average. The only danger he poses is fighting. But Chad should have enough takedown defense skills to stop the Chinese's attempts to move into the fight.

Jake Collier vs Chris Barnett (Heavyweight Bout)

Jake Collier Preview

Collier prefers to work in a standing position. He tries to throw heavy punches and uses low kicks and roundhouse kicks. 5 out of 12 victories Jake got by knockouts.

Jake is a mediocre fighter. He is extremely slow, which is why he misses a large number of hits. The BJJ base does not help him on the ground. He is so easy to control that he hardly resists when he is hammered on the ground.

Chris Barnett Preview

Chris is a kickboxer, most dangerous in the standing position. He works at a high pace, carries out fast attacks, works on different floors, and throws effective powerful kicks. Barnett is defenseless on the ground. He doesn't defend well against transfers and lets his opponents control him.

Collier vs Barnett Prediction

I think that these outsiders have an equal chance of winning and Jake Collier is seriously overrated. I don't think he can take Chris to the ground because Collier's takedowns aren't good enough. In the stand, Barnett is head and shoulders above the opponent in skills. He hits faster and more accurately, and he has repeatedly stunned opponents with lightning-fast combinations.

Collier just won't hold up to the high tempo of the fight that Chris will impose. Jake is slow and will miss almost all of his opponent's serves, and his attacks will rarely hit the target.

Denis Tiuliulin vs Jamie Pickett (Middleweight Bout)

Denis Tiuliulin Preview

Denis prefers to fight in a standing position. He aggressively presses the opponent, trying to knock him out quickly. But Tiuliulin is a mediocre fighter.

Being on his feet, Denis aggressively attacks the opponent. But he acts too straightforward: his punches are too wide and obvious, which is why opponents easily read his attacks and manage to build a good defense. On the canvas, the fighter regularly makes mistakes, loses positions, and can give himself up to submission.

Jamie Pickett Preview

Jamie prefers to fight on the stand. He constantly puts aggressive pressure on opponents, sets a high pace, and deals damage with a large number of punches. Thanks to this style of fighting, 8 out of 13 victories he won by knockouts.

Pickett's main problem is weak stamina. He gets so caught up in chasing his opponent's chin that he sets the pace too high and he can't keep up the full 15 minutes. As a result, Jamie fizzles out and gives the initiative to the opponent.

The ground level is another problem area for Pickett. Once transferred, he immediately begins to lose positions and make mistakes, which is why in battles against experienced wrestlers, he constantly finds himself on the verge of defeat by submission.

Tiuliulin vs Pickett Prediction

Jamie Pickett is the favorite in the case since Tyulyulin is too raw a fighter for the UFC. But I won’t dare to bet on the victory of the American, because he is an unstable fighter and the quality of his performance directly depends on the mood of the fight.

Tiuliulin takes opponents with exhaustion and aggressive pressure. If this tactic works, then he wins by knockout. Only once in his career did he win on points. Therefore, if Jamie fails to knock out Denis in the first half of the fight, then the Russian will finish the opponent in its final segment.

But Jamie, if he catches the right attitude, will have a good chance of finishing the Russian.

Johnny Walker vs Ion Cutelaba (Light Heavyweight Bout)

Johnny Walker Preview

As a basic Muay Thai fighter, Walker is primarily dangerous in the standing and clinch positions. Johnny reinforces the non-standard technique with which he tries to confuse the opponent with accurate and powerful blows. He connects his knees, legs, and elbows in time and has a good feel for the rhythm of the fight, which allows him to perform a spinning shot like a back fist, back elbow, or roundhouse kick at the most opportune moment.

Johnny is bad at wrestling. Once on the ground, he tries to use his BJJ skills but makes stupid mistakes that will give an experienced BJJ artist or a wrestler plenty of opportunities for submission.

Ion Cutelaba Preview

Ion is a freestyle wrestler who reinforced his skills with combat sambo. The Moldavian uses this background to stop the opponent's takedowns and to successfully transfer to the ground himself.

But Ion joins the fight only in emergency situations. In a boxing fight, he relies on physical strength and aggression, trying to crush the opponent with a hail of sweeping and powerful punches.

The main problem of Moldovan is his disgusting cardio. It lasts for 1.5-2 rounds, and then it just turns off. Because of this, he could not defeat such a mediocre fighter as Dustin Jacoby. Ion confidently took the 1st round, he could have taken the 2nd, but closer to the middle of it, due to fatigue, he gave the initiative to his opponent and he was able to bring the fight to a draw.

Walker vs Cutelaba Prediction

Cutelaba hits hard and knows how to wrestle but he does it at an average or even below-average level. In the standing position, he recklessly rushes forward, forgetting about defense, which is very dangerous in a duel against Johnny Walker, since the Brazilian can put out an opponent with one hit. Ion has already gone to a one-punch knockout and can repeat this performance at UFC 279.

Ion's struggle should not be overestimated either. He burns cardio at a furious pace when he starts to clinch an opponent, control him on the ground or land a takedown. So he can be very tired even before the middle of the fight if the opponent does not finish quickly.

Li Jingliang vs Daniel Rodriguez (Catchweight Bout)

Li Jiangliang and Daniel Rodriguez were forced to change opponents one day before the event and will now face each other despite the massive difference in weight. In turn, the UFC 279 has a new main event and co-main event: Nate Diaz vs Tony Ferguson and Khamzat Chimaev vs Kevin Holland.

Li Jingliang Preview

Li is a representative of Wushu Sanda. He shows good combinative work in the octagon with non-standard work on different levels and good footwork. In addition, Jingliang has a black belt in BJJ, he has an extensive arsenal of submission techniques. I note the strong jaw of the Chinese. He has never been knocked out.

Due to the fact that Li actively leads the fight, he gets tired by the 3rd round. His hands get clogged and he cannot defend himself effectively. Because of this, while continuing to push, Jingliang enters exchanges with an open jaw and takes a lot of punches.

Daniel Rodriguez Preview

Daniel is a versatile fighter who prefers to work on his feet. On the stand, he relies on boxing and Muay Thai skills. Rodriguez throws dangerous powerful combinations, and works well in clinches, from where he delivers dangerous elbows and knees. He is the fighter that throws the highest number of punches per minute in the UFC right now.

Daniel's main disadvantage is cardio. He gets seriously tired by the last round and gives up the initiative.

Jingliang vs Rodriguez Prediction

This should be a long thrilling fight. We have two versatile fighters that generally prefer to rely on boxing or kickboxing and there is a good chance that we will see a knockout. After the rotation made by the UFC, this fight will be in the “catchweight” category and this is because there is a 10-pound difference between these two fighters. Rodriguez is about 10 pounds heavier which gives him the upper hand in this matchup. Nevertheless, Li Jingliang can withstand a lot of damage and we do not expect a fast finish here.