Stockton native Nate Diaz finished his UFC contract with a win against an opponent he didn’t prepare for.

Diaz was originally supposed to fight Khamzat Chimaev in UFC 279 Saturday. But, the Chechen-born Swedish fighter missed weight the day before the bout, weighing 7.5 pounds above the 171 pound fight limit. This caused the card to shuffle fighters around, with Diaz’s new opponent being UFC legend, Tony “El Cucuy” Ferguson.

Diaz would emerge victorious after four rounds, submitting Ferguson to a guillotine choke.

Chimaev would still fight, submitting Kevin Holland in the first round of the co-main event card.

Diaz’s team announced the fighter plans to start his own promotion, Real Fight Inc. The press release announcing the promotion says Diaz will still be an active fighter, however, this is his transition to the business side of MMA.

“Nate will be applying for his promotors license in the coming weeks to form Real Fight, Inc., a new promotion that will focus on promoting combat sports shows, specifically boxing, MMA and BJJ,” the press release reads. “The new venture has no bearing on his status as a fighter, where he will continue to be very active. Real Fight, Inc. is his expansion into the business side of the sport where he has been a fixture for close to 20 years.”

The press release does not state when the promotion will host its first fight.

 

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