"This is how you leave an employer and become your own boss" - Jake Paul, Israel Adesanya, Charles Oliveira, and others tip hats to Nate Diaz's UFC swan song
Nate Diaz ended his UFC career on a high note and MMA Twitter has rejoiced.
It's no secret that UFC 279 could be Diaz's last appearance in the octagon as his contract is set to expire after the event. Diaz also indicated multiple times that he's intending to leave the UFC due to his differences with the company's top brass.
With that in mind, many believe the UFC deliberately tried to send Diaz off on a loss by pitting him against a terrible stylistic matchup in Khamzat Chimaev. However, the MMA gods smiled upon Stockton's favorite son after Chimaev's horrific weight miss led to a more favorable matchup between Diaz and Tony Ferguson.
Watch Nate Diaz's submission win in the clip below:
On top of that, Diaz successfully snapped his two-fight losing streak by submitting his fellow UFC icon via guillotine choke. The win means Diaz will be departing on his own terms, and UFC Twitter is utterly delighted.
UFC superstars Israel Adesanya, Charles Oliveira, and Francis Ngannou expressed their appreciation for Diaz. Ngannou, who has his own issues with the company, was obviously happy to see the octagon bad boy stick it to the man.
Former double-champ Henry Cejudo, Cris Cyborg, Derek Brunson, Billy Quarantillo, and Chris Curtis highlighted how impressive Diaz's victory was. Their sentiments were echoed by BJ Penn, Megan Anderson, Tanner Boser, Josh Thompson, and Joe Giannetti.
Meanwhile, YouTube star-turned-professional boxer Jake Paul hinted at what could be next for Diaz. 'The Problem Child' posted a series of tweets to tease a matchup between himself and the UFC superstar.
What's next for Nate Diaz?
Nate Diaz confirmed that he's leaving the UFC during his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan.
He made it clear, however, that doesn't intend to leave the combat sports just yet. In what could be his final dialogue inside the octagon, Diaz revealed what's next for his career:
"I wanna get out of the UFC for a minute and show all these UFC fighters how to take over and own up another sport how you're supposed to do it. Because Conor McGregor didn't know how to do it. None of these other fighters know how to do it. So I'm gonna go out there and I'm gonna take over another profession and become the best at that... and then I'm gonna be f***ing right back here to get the f***ing UFC title."
Watch Nate Diaz's interview below: