Nate Diaz said he 'lost county' on how much extra money he was paid to fight Tony Ferguson.
Diaz was pencilled in to fight Khazmat Chimaev but his opponent missed weight and fans were treated to a fight between Ferguson and Diaz.
And the legendary fighter submitted Ferguson in the fourth round in what may be his last fight for the promotion.
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Three matchups on the UFC 279 card were changed less than 24 hours before the event and Diaz said he demanded more money than any current champion in the organisation because of the last minute opponent switch.
"I was like if you want to switch people on me on one f****ng day after I've just cut 15 pounds to make me change my opponent, you've got to give me more money than you give all of the champions in this organisation. They were like 'stupid we already gave you' then I was like 'well I want more than that then'. When asked how much he was given by the UFC, Diaz hilariously replied "I lost count".
Ferguson was once on a 12-fight unbeaten run in the UFC and held the interim lightweight title, but he has now lost his last five fights. 'El Cucuy' was originally booked to fight Li Jingliang on the UFC 279 card, with Jingliang facing Rodriguez after Ferguson replaced Chimaev in the main event. Diaz praised Ferguson for his longevity and said he deserved to be a paid big money by the UFC.
"He's been around a long time, put on some great performances, taken a lot of damage," Diaz said of Ferguson. "People can act however the hell they want if they've done s*** like that, he's put on enough wars to do whatever the f*** he wants. It's respect, I like anyone that can have a career that like especially in the UFC with the toughest fighters in the world. That's the hardest job, that guy should be a hundred millionaire."
Diaz hinted at a move to boxing whilst taking aim at Conor McGregor's loss to ring legend Floyd Mayweather in 2017. The 37-year-old has been linked to fight against YouTube star Jake Paul, but has previously been unable to entertain it due to his UFC contract. Paul reacted to Diaz's win by labelling him a "legend" and welcoming a potential fight between the pair.
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