Nothing about the UFC 279 main event was as it was supposed to be. Nothing, that is, except for the fight between Nate Diaz and Tony Ferguson serving as perhaps the perfect swan song for the always-defiant native of Stockton, California, as he closed out his UFC contract with a fourth-round submission victory.
The fight was odd, with Diaz and Ferguson both employing unusual styles. The oddness peaked in the third round when Ferguson continued to land heavy leg kicks that had caused Diaz’s leg to swell and turn purple. Diaz began walking around the Octagon while shaking his head, seemingly on the edge of wanting out of the fight.
Instead, Diaz again engaged, throwing combinations and trying to swarm Ferguson. At times, Diaz would lean against the cage mid-round and speak to observers on the outside.
In the fourth round, Ferguson looked for a takedown, a move his corner had been asking for between the previous two rounds. That decision turned out to be Ferguson’s undoing as Diaz quickly locked in a guillotine choke and squeezed until Ferguson was forced to tap at the 2:52 mark of the round.
“Full-blown wrestling fight camp,” Diaz said after the fight, explaining his readiness to defend takedown attempts with the choke. “I didn’t do no boxing. So, we made that happen.”
Diaz, who confirmed he would look to find opportunities outside the Octagon with his contract now fulfilled, then addressed Khamzat Chimaev, the man he was supposed to face in the main event. Chimaev badly missed weight on Friday, forcing the UFC to shuffle three fights into three new match-ups.
“I was like, this is such a bitch-ass rookie,” Diaz said. “I’m not even worried about a bitch-ass rookie.”
CBS Sports was with you the entire way on Saturday bringing you all the results and highlights from the UFC 279 below.
UFC 279 cards and results
- Nate Diaz def. Tony Ferguson via fourth-round submission (guillotine choke)
- Khamzat Chimaev def. Kevin Holland via first-round submission (D’Arce choke)
- Daniel Rodriguez def. Li Jingliang via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Irene Aldana def. Macy Chiasson via third-round TKO (upkick)
- Johnny Walker def. Ion Cutelaba via first-round submission (rear-naked choke)
- Julian Erosa def. Hakeem Dawodu via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Jailton Almeida def. Anton Turkalj via first-round submission (rear-naked choke)
- Denis Tiuliulin def. Jamie Pickett via second-round TKO (punches)
- Chris Barnett def. Jake Collier via second round TKO (punches)
- Norma Dumont def. Danyelle Wolf via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)
- Alatengheili def. Chad Anheliger via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Elise Reed def. Melissa Martinez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Yohan Lainesse def. Darian Weeks via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)