Despite the chaos leading up to this weekend’s pay-per-view event, UFC 279 was pleasantly predictable. So predictable, in fact, that we managed to correctly anticipate the outcome of each main card bout.
Johnny Walker made his comeback by submitting Ion Cutelaba with a rear-naked choke in the first round. Irene Aldana TKO’d Macy Chiasson in the third. Daniel Rodriguez eeked the split decision victory over Li Jingliang after going the distance.
Khamzat Chimaev ate Kevin Holland alive inside of three minutes, exterminating him with extreme prejudice by way of d’arce choke, and improving his undefeated record to 12-0. And as for Nate Diaz, the outgoing veteran closed a chapter in his storied career by submitting the aging boogeyman, Tony Ferguson, extinguishing any chance of seeing the fifth round.
RELATED: Alexander Volkanovski Is Now The UFC’s Pound-For-Pound King
From where we were sitting, there isn’t really much else to say about UFC 279: Nate Diaz vs Tony Ferguson. A vintage finish for the Stockton gangster, yes, and a dream match-up for most. But at the risk of sounding ungrateful, one tends to imagine what this fight would have resembled four years ago.
2018 — Diaz was hungry to avenge his debatable majority decision loss against Conor McGregor; and Ferguson was arguably at his prime, en route to a historic hot streak within the incredibly cut-throat lightweight division.
And let’s not even get into the whole can of worms about what a last-minute reshuffle does, or rather undoes, to everyone’s camp preparation.
The devastating four-fight skid has clearly impacted Tony Ferguson in a profound way. Although let’s be honest… anyone who endured (almost) five rounds of punishment dealt by a focused Justin Gaethje and that career-ending front kick dealt by Michael Chandler, only to continue marching forward, is a bloody champion in our eyes.
Throughout all four rounds, there was an occasional glimpse of the former Tony Ferguson, slinging otherwise lethal combinations, and to his credit, he employed a damaging game plan with his leg kicks (to the point Diaz earned a visible lump on his shin).
RELATED: I Hate To Say It, But Tony Ferguson Needs To Retire
Ultimately, Ferguson was gunshy and still overly reliant on unconventional spin-based moves that proved effective once upon a time when he was a younger, more athletic man. All it’s indicative of now is a concerning lack of sound MMA fundamentals.
In the second minute of Round 4, Nate Diaz overwhelmed Tony Ferguson with an entire barrage of punches, pressuring El Cucuy to shoot for a haphazard double leg takedown. While the takedown was successful, before ass had even landed on canvas, Diaz had secured a guillotine, and even threw his leg over Ferguson’s body for good measure (if you know, you know).
The UFC 279 main event concluded with 2:09 left on the clock — coincidentally, the area code for Diaz’s native Stockton. Exceedingly appropriate for the final fight of his contract.
If this is indeed the end for Nate Diaz, what a career.
