Nate Diaz got a fond farewell from UFC President Dana White after his last fight with Tony Ferguson at UFC 279.
UFC 279 was a major success despite the hiccup caused by Khamzat Chimaev missing weight. It was also the last time UFC legend Nate Diaz was to perform under his ongoing UFC contract. The Diaz brothers have been associated with the UFC brand for a long time. So, it was a poignant and emotional farewell that UFC President Dana White gave to The Stockton Gangster after the fight was over.
A Long Road Fulla Bumps and Memories
Diaz first began his MMA career with the World Extreme Cagefighting promotion in the mid-2000s. In fact, his first fight was the last fight held by the promotion before it was absorbed by Zuffa LLC which owned the UFC brand at the time.
Diaz’s first fight was with Rob Emerson after which he moved on to fight several names in that decade. This included Gray Maynard who had a noted rivalry with UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar.
Diaz also fought notable MMA fighters including Clay Guida, Rory MacDonald, Donald Cerrone, Benson Henderson, Rafael dos Anjos and others.
His big break came after he beat Michael Johnson UFC on Fox 17 in December 2015. After winning the fight The Stockton Gangster famously called out Conor McGregor by saying “you’re taking everything I work for, motherf*cker, and I’ma fight your f*cking a**.”
From Stockton with Love
Diaz’s opportunity to face Conor Mcgregor came in 2016 when Rafael dos Anjos was sidelined. He took the fight at welterweight against McGregor with only 11 days till fight night.
Despite the short time to prepare, Diaz won via a second-round submission and this put him just behind UFC Hall of Famer and the first UFC winner Royce Gracie for submissions. This fight was given Fight of the Night honors.
Diaz lost the second fight via majority decision and the fight itself was given Fight of the Night honors. After the second McGregor fight, Diaz took a two-year hiatus and had to wait another year to return to action. He closed off his time with the UFC with fights against Anthony Pettis, Jorge Masvidal, Leon Edwards and Tony Ferguson.
What Will Nate Diaz Do Next?
Since concluding his contract with the UFC, Diaz has expressed interest in taking up boxing. His formidable boxing skills are well-known in MMA and Jake Paul called him out for a boxing match recently.
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