Referee, Judging Assignments Set For UFC 279

Who will referee the welterweight main event between Khamzat Chimaev and Nate Diaz?

None other than veteran official Marc Goddard, who was appointed by Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) to handle headlining duties at the upcoming UFC 279 pay-per-view (PPV) card on Sept. 10 in Las Vegas.

That’s according to MMA Junkie.

Cageside judges for the five-round showdown will be Derek Cleary, Sal D’Amato, and Ron McCarthy. Each judge will be paid $2,000 for their efforts next month in “Sin City” compared to $2,500 for Goddard.

No word yet what the undertaker will be paid for the post-fight “funeral.”

“Everybody’s counting Nate Diaz out,” UFC President Dana White recently told reporters. “These are the kind of stories – it’s almost like you just saying to me earlier, it’s like people are counting Leon Edwards out. You can’t count anybody out. In this sport, you never know what’s going to happen. Anything is possible.”

We learned that at UFC 278 in Salt Lake City.

UFC 279 will also feature the welterweight showdown between Tony Ferguson and Li Jingliang. In addition, Combate Global veteran Melissa Martinez is expected to make her Octagon debut against strawweight slugger Elise Reed while Johnny Walker and Ion Cuțelaba collide at 205 pounds.

For the latest UFC 279 fight card and PPV lineup click here.