UFC 279:- Has Nate Diaz Ever Been a UFC Champion?

The Stockton slugger, Nate Diaz, has ruled the hearts of fight fans with his unfazed personality and ferocious fighting style for over a decade. He carried on his older brother, Nick Diaz’s legacy with grace.

Diaz has been a part of many amazing fights and some of his bouts even ranked among the highest pay-per-view selling fights in UFC’s history. The Stockton’s second child holds a professional MMA record of 21-13 with four knockouts and thirteen submission wins under his name.

However, Diaz has never won the ultimate prize- the UFC title- in his decade-long UFC career. The closest Diaz has ever come to the UFC gold was in 2012, when he took on Benson Henderson for the lightweight title.

 

 

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Unfortunately, the Cesar Gracie Jiu-Jitsu prodigy lost the fight via unanimous decision as Henderson dominated most of the rounds by landing 124 significant strikes, 8 takedowns, and a knockdown in the third round.

In 2019, Diaz was set for a symbolic ‘Baddest MotherF**ker’ title fight against Jorge Masvidal at UFC 244. But he faced the same fate in that fight as well. The doctors called the fight in the round because of Diaz’s injury and handed Masvidal a T/KO victory.

Nevertheless, despite not being a UFC champion, Diaz made a name for himself in the MMA industry and left a legacy that will live on forever in the sport.

Is UFC 279 Nate Diaz’s last fight?

Following his loss at UFC 244, a self-proclaimed UFC gangster took a hiatus from fighting. He returned in 2021 but lost the bout at UFC 263. Since then Diaz has been asking for his next bout- which is apparently the last fight on his UFC contract.

Lately, the 37-year-old has been on bad terms with the company, which was evident to the fans during the wait for his last fight. He has shown no interest in renewing the contract with the UFC.

Thus, this might be his last UFC fight. Earlier, he was scheduled to take on the Khamzat Chimaev in the main event of UFC 279. But the latter missed weight by 7.5lbs. Subsequently, UFC has set Diaz against veteran Tony Ferguson, who was competing on the same card. This welterweight bout is surely going to be a treat for the fans, given the fighter’s career history and stardom.

What are your thoughts on Diaz vs. Ferguson?

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