UFC 279: Pros react to Nate Diaz submitting Tony Ferguson in final fight on contract

See how fellow UFC fighters reacted to Nate Diaz winning what may be his final fight in the Octagon, defeating Tony Ferguson

After a wild road to UFC 279 with plenty of shake-ups, and expectations a fight with Khamzat Chimaev wouldn’t go his way, Nate Diaz gets to end his UFC run by going out on top, submitting Tony Ferguson in the evening’s main event.

The fight started slow, though with both men having their fair share of connections. Diaz landed the better strikes and had a leg check that caused a nasty gash on Ferguson’s shin. Ferguson, however, did land notable leg kicks in the opening frame.

Ferguson seemed to get off to a better start in the second round and continued to pound away at Diaz’s legs with leg kicks. But Diaz continued to land upstairs and caused a cut near Ferguson’s left eye.

Diaz seemed to get frustrated with Ferguson backing up and circling, as Diaz paused his action and refused to engage a couple of times in the third round. The gashes on Ferguson continued to leak blood in the third, but his movement helped gain some edge early on.

The war came to an end in the fourth round, with Diaz pressuring Ferguson before Ferguson attempted a takedown. Diaz, however, caught Ferguson and locked him in a guillotine, scoring the submission.

UFC 279: Pros react to Nate Diaz vs. Tony Ferguson

https://twitter.com/DerekBrunson/status/1568822148147585024

Prior to tonight, Diaz, who was competing on the last fight of his UFC deal, competed at UFC 263, dropping a five-round decision to current UFC welterweight champion Leon Edwards.

Diaz also competed twice in 2019, defeating Anthony Pettis before a loss to Jorge Masvidal, but he hadn’t been consistently active since his pair of bouts with Conor McGregor in 2016.

After his win, Diaz hinted about potentially “taking over another sport.”

Ferguson at one point had a 12-fight win streak, which included a win over Kevin Lee at UFC 216 to win the interim UFC lightweight championship. Things haven’t been the same for him, however, entering this fight on a four-fight losing streak that has seen him losing to Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira, Beneil Dariush and Michael Chandler.

UFC 279: Nate Diaz vs. Tony Ferguson takes place on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022, live from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. Follow along with FanSided MMA, who is on site, for all your news and highlights.