Nate Diaz ‘Lost Count’ of How Much He Was Paid at UFC 279
A lot happened at UFC 279. Before the event even started Khamzat Chimaev made a fool of himself as he missed weight by eight pounds. This resulted in Chimaev being unable to fight Nate Diaz in the UFC 279 main event. The UFC turned to Tony Ferguson to fill in and fight Diaz; however, Diaz had to agree to the opponent change. At the post-fight press conference, Diaz made it seem like he was offered a boatload of cash to stay on the card.
When asked about how much money he was offered to remain on UFC 279 Diaz replied by saying, “I lost count.”
“I was like, ‘you gotta pay me… if you wanna switch people on me in one f—ng day and I just cut 15 pounds,” Diaz said. “You made me change my opponent? You guys gotta give me more than you give any of the champions in this whole organization.
“They were like, ‘Stupid, we already gave you…’ I said, ‘I want more than that, then.’”
Quote via Bloody Elbow
Diaz did not disclose how much money the UFC offered him to remain on UFC 279, but it is safe to assume that he was well-paid for accepting the fight with Ferguson. At a minimum, it seems like he at least got a raise for taking the fight.
Along with getting a raise, Diaz was also able to fight Ferguson instead of Chimaev — that is a reward in itself. For Diaz, a fight with an aging Ferguson is far more winnable than a fight with Chimaev. At UFC 279, Diaz was able to capitalize on the new matchup, submitting Ferguson in the fourth round.
UFC 279 marked Diaz’s final fight in the UFC. With his future up in the air, make sure to watch out for Diaz moving forward. Do not be surprised if you see him fight in his new combat sports promotion, Real Fight Inc.
