If Nate Diaz could be defined by one thing – and one thing only – it’s that he hails from Stockton. His Twitter handle isn’t @NateDiaz209 for nothing. The 209 is included for Stockton’s area code, and Diaz reps where he’s from every chance he gets.
It’s because of Nate and his brother, Nick Diaz, that Stockton is even relevant. They put the city (population 311,000 in California’s Central Valley) on the map.
So imagine the thought of Nate Diaz, in the final fight on his UFC contract after a tumultuous relationship with the promotion, getting a finish for the win – and that finish coming with 2:09 left on the clock. Fate or coincidence?
Well, it (almost) happened. And Joe Rogan, who called Diaz’s fight with Tony Ferguson cageside at UFC 279, was blown away by it (via Facebook):
“I’m starting to think that maybe we really are in a simulation. Holy sh*t”
Officially, Diaz submitted Ferguson at the 2:52 mark of Round 4, meaning there was 2:08 left – not 2:09. That would’ve been the ultimate shoutout to Stockton in Diaz’s final UFC fight.
Still, the fact that it was close enough to screen shot with the referee stopping the fight is pretty damn cool.
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