Nate Diaz signed off his UFC contract with superb submission victory against Tony Ferguson at UFC 279 on Sunday morning.
The hugely popular American, fighting out the final bout on his current deal, defeated his compatriot via a guillotine choke in the fourth round in the main event at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Diaz, whose professional MMA record now reads 21-13, was initially to face Khamzat Chimaev in the headline fight, only for the Chechen-born Swede to miss weight on Friday by seven and a half pounds.
Diaz, 37, is expected now to begin his own promotion, but has not ruled out a return to the UFC.
“Full blown wrestling fight camp,” Diaz said inside the octagon immediately after. “I didn't do no boxing, so we made that happen.”
Thanking the UFC for his 15 years in the promotion, Diaz added: “End of the day, I love the UFC. I want to get out of the UFC a minute and show all these fighters how to go take over another sport. Because Conor McGregor didn't know how to do it.”
Chimaev dominates Holland
Chimaev defeated Kevin Holland in their rearranged bout at UFC 279 on Sunday morning, submitting his opponent by first-round d'arce choke.
The Chechen-born Swede dominated Holland from the off, ending the fight in little more than two minutes.
Unbeaten as a professional, it lifted Chimaev’s record to 12-0 (6-0 in UFC). Previously one of the most popular fighters in the sport, Chimaev entered the octagon to a chorus of boos after his bad weight cut on Friday.
However, the 28-year-old is still tipped to fight next for either the welterweight or middleweight title.
“So what now? Say something," Chimaev screamed to the crowd inside the octagon afterwards. “I’m coming for everyone. I kill everyone. Nobody can stop me. If I die, I die."
More to follow
