LAS VEGAS — After a wild 24 hours leading up to UFC 279, Nate Diaz completed the final fight of his contract by submitting Tony Ferguson in the fourth round with a guillotine choke Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena.
UFC 279 received a last-minute shake-up after Diaz's original opponent, Khamzat Chimaev, badly missed weight on Friday, resulting in a slew of changes to the pay-per-view. Instead of being a massive underdog against Chimaev, Diaz found himself facing former interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson. It was perceived to be a winnable fight and Diaz managed to pull out the victory in front of a pro-Diaz contingent.
As expected, Diaz was sharp with his standup and found the mark with combination punches. What wasn't expected was Diaz becoming the first fighter in the UFC to submit Ferguson when he sank in a guillotine choke off a takedown attempt.
And with the final fight of his contract done, what will be next for the Stockton cult hero?
"I want to get out of the UFC for a minute and show the fighters how to take over the sport like your sport like you are supposed to do it," Diaz said without specifying exactly what his next move would be. He did suggest that he could return to the promotion after some time away. But who knows when that will be?
No matter where Diaz ends up, he has managed to become a hero to fans for his anti-establishment persona despite never being a champion in any fighting promotion in which he has competed.
He is the ultimate people's champion.
MORE: Here's what actually happens when a UFC fighter misses weight
As for Chimaev, he ended up in the co-main event with Kevin Holland — with whom he had a backstage altercation at the UFC 279 press conference Thursday. Jeered heavily by fans for missing weight, "The Wolf" made short work of Holland by immediately securing a takedown and submitting his opponent with a D'arce choke in the first round.
The Sporting News provided live updates and highlights from the card. Here's how it all went down:
UFC 279 live results, highlights
Nate Diaz submits Tony Ferguson in final UFC fight
Round 4: More leg kicks from Ferguson. Hard left hand from Diaz briefly stuns Ferguson. Diaz rolls in with hard punches. Ferguson blocks most but a few slip through. Body punches and a right hand from Diaz. Ferguson goes for the takedown and puts Ferguson in a guillotine. Ferguson taps out!!!
Round 3: Right hook from Diaz lands after Ferguson misses a bunch of stuff. Ferguson has landed a few leg kicks. Diaz walks away and starts circling the cage. Ferguson checks his fake watch. This is weird. Diaz lands a hard leg kick, laughs and walks away. More leg kicks from Ferguson. Diaz rams a jab in Ferguson's face. Ferguson keeps moving and Diaz looks annoyed by it. Diaz chases Ferguson down, lands a combination and stops to talk to commentary. Diaz rips Ferguson with another combination and lands a hard body kick. Diaz slams punches and kicks into Ferguson and mocks him. Right hand lands for Diaz and he rests on the cage fence until the round ends.
SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9, Diaz (29-28, Diaz)
Round 2: Diaz starts the second with a combination and a leg kick. Left hand and a body kick from Diaz. Uppercut from Ferguson lands. Short left from Diaz behind a body kick. Right hand from Diaz. Ferguson can't seem to land much but he's trying. Ferguson is moving around a lot. Diaz lands another three-punch combination. Right hook from Diaz lands and Ferguson scurries away. Maybe Ferguson should try a takedown. Or something.
SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9, Diaz (19-19)
Round 1: Diaz rushes across the cage and tries to land an elbow. Spinning elbow by Ferguson misses. Both are looking for openings but Ferguson is the aggressor. There's a nasty cut on Ferguson's shin that's pouring blood. Leg kicks by Ferguson. Left hand by Ferguson lands. Ferguson's movement has Diaz off. Diaz points and laughs at Ferguson after a miss. Ferguson laughs back. Leg kick by Diaz. Combination lands for Diaz. Ferguson fumbles back with a punch and a leg kick. Ferguson is going for some wild spinning strikes but can't land. Diaz lands a left hand to close the round.
SN unofficial scorecard: 10-9, Ferguson
12:09 a.m.: Ferguson made his way to the Octagon to a nice ovation, but it is nothing compared to how this arena shook when Diaz emerged from the tunnel as marijuana smoke filled T-Mobile Arena. This might be the last time we ever see Nate Diaz in the Octagon.
Midnight: Well, now that the co-main event is over in swift order, we have the main event up next. Nate Diaz vs. Tony Ferguson is a fight that should have happened a long time ago. Nevertheless, it's a great main event today. It's Diaz's last fight in his UFC contract and Ferguson needs to end a four-fight losing streak.
Khamzat Chimaev easily submits Kevin Holland in the first round
Round 1: Chimaev takes Holland down immediately. He's rag-dolling him. Holland is trying to scramble and gets to his feet. Chimaev is all over him. Back down goes Holland. Chimaev going for a D'arce choke. The choke is getting tighter. And Holland taps. It's over in 2:13.
11:39 p.m.: The two men whose altercation backstage caused the UFC 279 press conference to be canceled are up next. Khamzat Chimaev and Kevin Holland will battle in the five-round co-main event. This crowd despises Chimaev, but he'll be a huge favorite over Holland.
Daniel Rodriguez gets split decision over Li Jingliang on short notice
11:35 p.m.: It was expected to be close, and two of the judges scored it for Rodriguez while the other had it for Li. The crowd here booed both fighters even though they took this matchup on a day's notice. They deserved better than that despite the lack of action.
11:26 p.m.: Through two rounds, this has been a relatively nip-and-tuck affair. The fight has remained on the feet. Li managed to drop Rodriguez late in the second round and may find himself up by two rounds. But who knows how the judges are feeling tonight?
11:05 p.m.: It's time to get weird. The first of three fights altered Friday is up next. The innocent bystanders — Li Jingliang and Daniel Rodriguez — will meet in a catchweight bout at 180 pounds.
Irena Aldana stops Macy Chiasson with upkick to the liver
11 p.m.: Whoa. Irene Aldana finished Macy Chiasson in the third round with one of the most unusual finishes you'll see. While on her back, Aldana drilled a standing Chiasson in the ribs with her heel. Chiasson went down in a heap and Aldana picked up the stunning TKO.
10:52 p.m: Aldana and Chiasson are having themselves a scrap. Aldana dominated the first round when she turned a Chiasson takedown attempt into a deep armbar that Chiasson somehow managed to survive. In the second, Aldana reversed another takedown attempt but found Chiasson wrapping around to her back, mounting her and landing elbow strikes. It should be even heading into the final round.
10:33 p.m.: Up next is a catchweight bout between fourth-ranked Irene Aldana and 10th-ranked Macy Chiasson. Both women decided to fight over the women's bantamweight limit of 135 pounds; they will face off at 140 pounds.
Johnny Walker chokes out Ion Cutelaba in the first round
10:27 p.m.: Walker put an end to a two-fight losing streak with a first-round submission of Cutelaba. Cutelaba attempted to neutralize Walker's striking by taking him down but found himself being taken down later in the round. Walker swiftly worked to sink in a rear naked choke and got the job done. After Cutelaba tapped, Walker kissed him and started breakdancing.
10:18 p.m.: Johnny Walker and Ion Cutelaba will get things started on the main card. Both fighters made weight and had no drama heading into this fight. It was one of the few fights that didn't have issues.
10:01 p.m.: Julian Erosa picked up his third consecutive victory by outworking Hakeem Dawodu for three rounds and earning a unanimous decision. Nothing terribly exciting here, but a workmanlike effort for the 33-year-old. And now it is time for the main card.
9:20 p.m.: Jailton Almeida's grappling may be a problem for future opponents. He dominated Anton Turkalj from the beginning of the fight with his grappling until he snaked in a rear naked choke for the finish. Impressive work from the Brazilian.
9:02 p.m.: We are live from T-Mobile Arena ahead of one of the craziest cards in UFC history. The energy in the arena is already high. What have you missed? Well, Chris Barnett had a fantastic comeback win and then did this:
Who has more fun than @BeastBoy61? 🤣 pic.twitter.com/uP5783zB1I
— UFC (@ufc) September 11, 2022
Yup. That was fun. Up next is the second of six(!) catchweight bouts as Jailton Almeida faces Anton Turkalj.
When is UFC 279: Nate Diaz vs. Tony Ferguson
- Date: Saturday, Sept. 10
- Start time: 6:15 p.m. ET | 11:15 PM BST | 8 a.m. AEST
- Prelims: 8 p.m. ET | 1 a.m. BST | 10 a.m. AEST
- Main card: 10 p.m. ET | 3 a.m. BST | 12 p.m. AEST
- Main event: 12:15 a.m. ET | 5:15 a.m. BST | 2:15 p.m. AEST (Approximate)
UFC 279 takes place on Sept. 10. The Fight Pass prelims take place at 6:15 p.m. ET, with the prelims going on after at 8 p.m. ET. The main card goes live at 10 p.m. ET. Diaz and Ferguson should make their way to the Octagon around 12:15 a.m. ET, depending on how long the undercard fights last.
How to watch UFC 279: Nate Diaz vs. Tony Ferguson
- TV channels: ESPN+
- Live stream: ESPN+, UFC Fight Pass
The main card for UFC 279 is available in the U.S. and Mexico on the ESPN+ subscription streaming service for a pay-per-view cost.
Earlier fights are viewable live on ESPN+, the WatchESPN app, and, for the early prelims, on UFC Fight Pass.
In Canada, the main card pay-per-view is available on TSN, Bell, Rogers, Shaw, Eastlink and UFC PPV on UFC Fight Pass.
In the United Kingdom, the main card will be available on BT Sport, with the prelims available on UFC Fight Pass.
In Australia, the main card will be on Main Event, Kayo Sports, FOXTEL, and UFC PPV on UFC Fight Pass.
Nate Diaz vs. Tony Ferguson price: How much does UFC 279 cost?
- $74.99 (current ESPN+ subscribers)
- $99.98 (new subscribers)
In the U.S., the UFC 279 main card is available via pay-per-view on ESPN+, which also requires a subscription. The PPV price for UFC 279 is $74.99 for current subscribers. New subscribers can pay a bundle price of $99.98 for the UFC 279 pay-per-view and an ESPN+ annual subscription, which offers savings of more than 30 percent.
MORE: Sign up to watch the UFC 279 PPV, exclusively on ESPN+
| Product | Prices |
|---|---|
| ESPN+ Monthly Subscription | $9.99/month |
| ESPN+ Annual Subscription | $99.99/year |
| The Disney Bundle w/Hulu Ad-Supported | $13.99/month |
| The Disney Bundle w/Hulu No-Ads | $19.99/month |
| UFC PPV Standalone | $74.99 each |
| UFC PPV Package (UFC PPV & ESPN+ Annual) | $99.98, then $69.99/year |
| UFC PPV & The Disney Bundle | $88.98, then $13.99/month |
Click here to learn about the different pricing and bundling options with the ESPN+ platform.
UFC 279 fight card
Main card
- Nate Diaz def. Tony Ferguson via 4th-round submission (guillotine choke) (2:52).
- Khamzat Chimaev def. Kevin Holland via first-round submission (D'arce choke) (2:13).
- Daniel Rodriguez def. Li Jingliang via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29).
- Irene Aldana def. Macy Chiasson via 3rd-round TKO (upkick to liver) (2:21).
- Johnny Walker def. Ion Cutelaba via 1st-round submission (rear-naked choke) (4:37).
Prelims
- Julian Erosa def. Hakeem Dawodu via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
- Jailton Almeida def. Anton Turkalj via 1st-round submission (rear-naked choke) (4:20).
- Denis Tiuliulin def. Jamie Pickett via 2nd-round TKO (knee & punches) (4:52).
- Chris Barnett def. Jake Collier via 2nd-round TKO (punches) (2:24).
Fight Pass prelims
- Norma Dumont def. Danyelle Wolf via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26).
- Alateng Heili 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, 29-28, 28-29).
The Sporting News may earn an affiliate commission when you sign up for a streaming service through our links. The Sporting News' affiliates have no influence over the editorial content included in this article.
