Nate Diaz swoops up guillotine choke to block Tony Ferguson in final UFC appearance

Nate Diaz confirmed his departure from UFC earlier today, following a stunning submission win against Tony Ferguson at the UFC 273 pay-per-view (PPV). The weekend was full of drama as Khamzat Chimaev was removed from the main event against Diaz after missing weight by 7.5 pounds. Ferguson, who was earlier scheduled to fight Chinese star Li Jingling, accepted to fight Diaz on Friday. 

The major shake-up in the UFC 279 main card resulted in Diaz fighting Ferguson in the welterweight division for the main event, while Chimaev was drawn against Kevin Holland in the co-main event in the catchweight division. Holland’s opponent Daniel Rodriguez ended up fighting against Jinglang. 

Meanwhile, UFC fans were all pumped up heading into the main event as Diaz and Ferguson are two veterans of the sport. Despite Ferguson looking more dominative, Diaz won the first two rounds, before Ferguson won the third round. Diaz got the jobe done by submitting El Cucuy in the final half of Round 4 and put on a massive show in his last UFC appearance for now.

Nate Diaz confirms departure from UFC, to take up 'another sport'

In the post-match interview, the 37-year-old confirmed his departure from UFC with plans to take over ‘another sport’. Speaking to Joe Rogan, Diaz said, “At the end of the day, I love the UFC. Shout out to Dana White, Lorenzo Fertitta, and Hunter Campbell for giving the opportunities and the platforms the whole time for everybody, and for myself. I wanna get out of the UFC for a minute and show all these UFC fighters how to take over and own up another sport how you’re supposed to do it. ‘Cause Conor McGregor didn’t know how to do it, and none of these other fighters know how to do it.”

'I’m gonna take over another profession': Nate Diaz

Revealing plans about his future, Diaz added, “I’mma go out there and I’m gonna take over another profession and become the best at that, show everybody I’m the best at that, and then I’m gonna be right back here to get a UFC title. The best title in the world”. Diaz currently holds a 22-13-0 record in his MMA career, with 29 UFC appearances from 2007 to 2022. However, the 37-year-old also hinted toward a return to the promotion after taking over another sport. 

UFC 279, Diaz vs Ferguson: Main Card Results

• Nate Diaz defeats Tony Ferguson via submission (guillotine choke) at 2:52 of the fourth round
• Khamzat Chimaev defeats Kevin Holland via submission (D’Arce choke) at 2:13 of the first round
• Daniel Rodriguez defeats Li Jingliang via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
• Irene Aldana defeats Macy Chiasson via TKO (strikes) at 2:21 of the third round
• Johnny Walker defeats Ion Cutelaba via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:37 of the first round

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