Nate Diaz closed a wild week in possibly his final UFC bout with a victory over Tony Ferguson on Saturday night in Las Vegas.
Diaz finished Ferguson at UFC 279 with a guillotine choke in the fourth round. Ferguson was thrust into the bout after Khamzat Chimaev missed weight for his fight against Diaz. He was forced to fight Kevin Holland instead, and eventually defeated Holland with a chokehold of his own.
The 37-year-old’s time with UFC may be over as his contract ran out without the two sides coming to an agreement on an extension. Diaz appeared on and won "The Ultimate Fighter 5" in 2007 and quickly moved up the rankings. He had memorable fights against Donald Cerrone and Conor McGregor among others.
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"At the end of the day, I love the UFC. I feel like I’ve had the longest career in the UFC, and I’ve had the most successful one out of everybody," Diaz said.
He already announced plans to start his own promotion outside UFC. But McGregor also opened the door for a trilogy bout. McGregor has been on the mend after suffering a broken leg during his last bout against Dustin Poirier.
"I want to get out of the UFC for a minute and show these UFC fighters how to take over and own up another sport how you’re supposed to do it," Diaz said.
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"Because Conor McGregor didn’t know how to do it, and none of these other fighters know how to do it, so I’m going to go out there and I’m going to take over another organization, another profession, and become the best at that, and then I’m going to be right back here to get another UFC title. It’s the best battle in the world."
UFC president Dana White said he would support Diaz with whatever he chose to do next.
"No matter what Nate does from here on out, this is his house," White said, via MMA Junkie. "He’s been here forever. It’s been a blast having him here. I wish him well.
"He and I had this discussion months ago at the offices. Whatever he moves on to do, I wish him nothing but the best. If he’s starting his own organization or getting into promoting or doing something else, I wish him nothing but the best of luck. It’s been awesome having him here."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
