"Most likely in the UFC to cut you" - Nate Diaz details what pressure he was under going into Tony Ferguson fight at UFC 279
Nate Diaz was supposed to fight Khamzat Chimaev in the main event of UFC 279, but ended up squaring off against Tony Ferguson instead.
Many believe that Ferguson was a more favorable matchup, given he's closer to Diaz in age and size. However, the Stockton native revealed that he didn't perceive Ferguson as a lesser type of threat than his initial opponent.
During a post-fight interview with Megan Olivi, Diaz was asked what type of challenges Ferguson presented. The octagon bad boy revealed that he made it his mission to avoid getting cut during his fight. And, of course, that was difficult to accomplish against a dynamic striker like Ferguson:
"I have the pressure on because my main goal, especially with Khamzat, is come out and not get any more cuts on my face. I'm done with that. I didn't want to be cut anymore and it's a new mission that I never had before in the past... And then they switched it to this guy [Tony Ferguson], who's most likely in the UFC to cut you."
Check out Nate Diaz's interview:
Diaz ultimately defied the odds one last time by submitting Ferguson in the fourth round with a guillotine choke. On top of that, he succeeded in his mission, avoiding the proverbial crimson mask for the first time in his last three fights.
Nate Diaz reveals he will pursue "another profession" after UFC 279
Nate Diaz hinted at the possibility of pursuing a career in another organization or a completely different sport.
It's no secret that UFC 279 is Diaz's last fight on his current contract. During his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, the 37-year-old confirmed speculation that he's leaving the UFC, at least for the time being.
"I want to 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," Diaz stated. "Conor McGregor didn’t know how to do it. None of these other fighters know how to do it. So I’m going to go out there, I'm going to take over another, another profession and become the best at that — show everbody I'm the best at that."
Catch Nate Diaz's post-fight interview below:
There's a longstanding rumor that Diaz will face YouTube star Jake Paul in a boxing match. For now, though, Paul is set to face another UFC legend in Anderson Silva on October 29th.