Nate Diaz Submits Tony Ferguson and Leaves UFC

On Saturday night, UFC held a legendary card with Nate Diaz (22-13-0) and Tony Ferguson (26-8-0) headlining, and after getting the win, Diaz stated he would be leaving the UFC (but maybe not forever).

After four rounds of back and forth from the two UFC veterans, Diaz showed some strong striking throughout and ended up getting the submission win via guillotine choke in the fourth round. Diaz had Ferguson locked up in closed guard whilst he applied the submission making Ferguson tap inside a few short seconds.

UFC 279 mix-up

UFC 279 was a hyped up card that came with some last minute alterations making for a much better line up according to fans. On Saturday night, Nate Diaz was supposed to have been fighting the highly-anticipated young prospect Khamzat Chimaev but was rematched with Tony Ferguson – a welterweight match of legends we have all been wanting to see. The mix-up was because Chimaev missed weight by 7.5 pounds Friday, coming in at 178.5 for a 171-pound-limit bout.

Diaz understandably opted not to fight an opponent who was so overweight. Diaz called Chimaev a “b—h ass” rookie and said he only trained wrestling during this camp because Chimaev is a dominant wrestler.

In a quick catchweight bout that night, Chimaev also won his fight via submission against Kevin Holland with a d’arce choke in the first round – so maybe Diaz had a lucky escape from the young prospect?

Diaz leaving the UFC

This was the final fight on Diaz’s UFC contract and he has indicated that he will not return to the promotion for now. In his post-fight interview, Diaz explained that his camp was full of wrestling in preparation for his fight against Chimaev. He paid respects to his opponent, his team, his brother, Dana White, and the Fertittas, and then gracefully bowed out of the UFC. Diaz explained that he plans to explore other opportunities, but might eventually return to the UFC again one day.

Earlier this week, Diaz’s team announced Diaz would be starting his own combat sports promotion, Real Fight Inc. Diaz has been in the UFC since 2007 and is an 18-year pro in mixed martial arts so he will – with no doubt – have plenty of opportunities available in the industry.