Tim Elliott vs. Edgar Chairez
Noche UFC · September 12, 2026 · Desert Diamond Arena · Main Card 5:00 PM ET
The brief
- What kind of fight
- Grappler vs. Grappler
- Finish likelihood
- Medium
- The line
- No line posted yet
- The stakes
- Flyweight · Main Card
The read
This fight is far more likely to be decided on the mat than on the feet.
Chairez's three-fight win streak and finishing instincts make him a live threat to end it early, but Elliott has survived and thrived in scrambles against far more dangerous grapplers across a long UFC career.
Expect a competitive grappling battle with a real chance either man locks up a choke before the final horn.
The matchup
This is a grappling-heavy style clash between two flyweights who both look to finish on the mat rather than the feet.
Elliott's scrambling wrestling and choke instincts have produced two submissions in his last three fights, while Chairez arrives red-hot off his own rear-naked choke finish of Bruno Silva and has real ground pedigree of his own.
Whoever ties up the other's hands and gets on top first is the one most likely to get the finish.
Tale of the tape
| 21-14-1 | Record | 14-6 |
| 39 | Age | 30 |
| 5'7" | Height | 5'7" |
| 66" | Reach | 71" |
| Southpaw | Stance | Orthodox |
| United States | Country | Mexico |
| Next Generation MMA | Team | Entram Gym |
The numbers
Career UFC averages. Red bar = statistical edge.
The fighters
Tim Elliott 21-14-1
“Awkward”
Tim 'Awkward' Elliott is a TUF 24 winner and long-tenured flyweight known for a scrambling, high-pace grappling style built on wrestling and opportunistic chokes. He finished Kai Asakura with a second-round guillotine in August 2025 before being outpointed by Steve Erceg in his most recent outing. Now in his late 30s, he remains one of the division's most durable veterans and a live threat any time a fight hits the mat.
- LSteve Erceg · Decision (unanimous)UFC Fight Night: Whittaker vs. de Ridder 2 · May 2, 2026
- WKai Asakura · Submission (guillotine choke)UFC 319 · August 16, 2025
- WSumudaerji · Submission (arm triangle choke)UFC Fight Night · December 9, 2023
Edgar Chairez 14-6
“Puro Chicali”
Edgar 'Puro Chicali' Chairez is a Mexicali-born submission specialist whose nickname pays tribute to his hometown of Mexicali, Baja California. He rides a three-fight win streak into Glendale, highlighted by a first-round choke-out of Bruno Silva in June 2026, and has built his UFC run on suffocating ground control and finishing instincts. A win over a veteran like Elliott would be the best of his career.
- WBruno Silva · Submission (rear-naked choke)UFC Fight Night: Vegas 118 · June 6, 2026
- WFelipe Bunes · Decision (split)UFC Fight Night · February 28, 2026
- WCJ Vergara · Submission (neck crank)UFC Fight Night · March 29, 2025