LAS VEGAS — When this week started, Nate Diaz's opponent was the dominant rising star Khamzat Chimaev — a little parting gift from the UFC as Diaz heads out the door.
On Saturday night, with Tony Ferguson as the opponent after a bizarre, unprecedented several days, Diaz will leave the promotion as a winner, courtesy of a guillotine choke submission at 2 minutes, 52 seconds of the fourth round in the main event of UFC 279 at T-Mobile Arena.
And with that, the lore of Diaz — one of the most popular, unconventional fighters in MMA history — continues. «I told them, 'Give me anybody you got,'» Diaz said in his postfight iterview. «At least I got a worthy OG representative of mixed martial arts.» Diaz was originally supposed to fight Chimaev, but 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---- ass rookie» and said he only trained wrestling during this camp, because Chimaev is a dominant wrestler.