UFC 279 -- Nate Diaz wins in triumphant finale, Khamzat Chimaev untouched in victory

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 2:52 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.

Diaz was initially 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---h ass» rookie and said he only trained wrestling during this camp because Chimaev is a dominant wrestler.

This was the final fight on Diaz's UFC contract and he has indicated that he will not return to the promotion for now. 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.

Ferguson was scheduled to fight Li Jingliang, who was shifted to a fight with Daniel Rodriguez. Chimaev, meanwhile, took on Kevin Holland in the co-main event.

Diaz (22-13) is a cult favorite who reached superstardom with a 2016 submission win over Conor McGregor. The California native is 2-2 in his last four fights, but he nearly knocked out Leon Edwards — now the UFC welterweight champion — in his most recent fight in June 2021.

Ferguson (26-8) has dropped five in a row, most recently a knockout loss to Michael Chandler at UFC 274 in May. The