Nate Diaz admitted he lost count of how much money the UFC paid him to take a short-notice fight with Tony Ferguson.
Diaz was supposed to compete against Khamzat Chimaev in his final fight for the promotion at UFC 279, but the Chechen missed weight by 7.5lb and Diaz refused to accept a catchweight bout with him. Diaz was instead booked to fight fellow UFC veteran Ferguson in the main event, whilst Kevin Holland was pulled from his fight against Daniel Rodriguez on the card to face Chimaev.
Seeing off his 15-year stint on a high, Diaz submitted Ferguson in his UFC swansong and is now free to leave the promotion. Three matchups on the UFC 279 card were changed less than 24 hours before the event and Diaz said he demanded more money than any current champion in the organisation because of the last minute opponent switch.
What were your thoughts on Nate Diaz's win against Tony Ferguson at UFC 279? Let us know in the comments section below
"I was like if you want to switch people on me on one f****ng day after I've just cut 15 pounds to make me change my opponent, you've got to give me more money than you give all of the champions in this organisation. They were like 'stupid we already gave you' then I was like 'well I want more than that then'. When asked how much he was given by the UFC, Diaz hilariously replied "I lost count".
Ferguson was once on a 12-fight unbeaten run in the UFC and held the interim lightweight title, but he has now lost his last five fights. 'El Cucuy' was originally booked to fight Li Jingliang on the UFC 279 card, with Jingliang facing Rodriguez after Ferguson replaced Chimaev in the main event. Diaz praised Ferguson for his longevity and said he deserved to be a paid big money by the UFC.
"He's been around a long time, put on some great performances, taken a lot of damage," Diaz said of Ferguson. "People can act however the hell they want if they've done s*** like that, he's put on enough wars to do whatever the f*** he wants. It's respect, I like anyone that can have a career that like especially in the UFC with the toughest fighters in the world. That's the hardest job, that guy should be a hundred millionaire."
Diaz hinted at a move to boxing whilst taking aim at Conor McGregor's loss to ring legend Floyd Mayweather in 2017. The 37-year-old has been linked to fight against YouTube star Jake Paul, but has previously been unable to entertain it due to his UFC contract. Paul reacted to Diaz's win by labelling him a "legend" and welcoming a potential fight between the pair.
