Khamzat Chimaev cleared the air about his hatred for Nate Diaz, claiming that he grew up watching him fight as a child
Ever since ESPN reporter Brett Okamoto broke out the news that a fight between UFC superstar Nate Diaz and Khamzat Chimaev will headline UFC 279, the internet has been running amok. While fans are praising the bravado, and courage of Nate Diaz to face a young, hungry lion, others are worried that the Stockton slugger might not stand a chance against the undefeated Chechen. This will be the last fight of Nate Diaz’s UFC contract, and a potential move to boxing seems like an inevitable outcome.
Nate Diaz has been importuning the UFC for a fight against Dustin Poirier. However, if experts are to be believed, the UFC top brass does not want to book Diaz in a fight in which he has a significant or even slight advantage over his opponent. They have presented the Stockton native with the mammoth task of fighting the undefeated Khamzat Chimaev.
Chimaev has taken the MMA world by storm, ever since he made his debut in 2020. The Russian-born-Swedish mixed martial artist is pitted to be the only fighter in the welterweight division that really stands a chance to beat the welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman. The promotion has been working relentlessly to get a top-ranked competition for him, and it finally come to effectuation with a fight against no.2 ranked, Gilbert Burns at UFC 273.
Chimaev went to war with Gilbert Burns at UFC 273, and displayed his heart, toughness, and grit. He has been calling out for a fight against Coly Covington, and Nate Diaz amongst several other fighters.
Diaz on the other hand, hasn’t fought since his loss to Leon Edwards at UFC 263, back in June 2021. Although Edwards cruised through the entire fight, Diaz displayed his toughness in the final minutes of the fight, landing a flush one-two that wobbled Edwards all over the place.
Khamzat Chimaev claims that he actually respects Nate Diaz
During his internet-breaking interview with Ariel Helwani, Nate Diaz mentioned that fighting Chimaev is not the best idea since both guys don’t like each other. However since the fight has been confirmed, the Diaz camp has been emphatic about the fact that they asked for this fight, while narratives suggest otherwise.
Speaking about Diaz and whether he would enjoy being the UFC’s hired hitman, Chimaev said, ”Nate said that he doesn’t like him, and I don’t like him too. I like that guy, I grew up on him you know. I was in school when he was fighting in the UFC. Its amazing to fight that guy, and you’ve seen stuff like that in the movies.”
He added, ”Respect for that guy, he took the fight. He knows I’m young, hungry, and moving up [in rankings]. And the guy will show up and fight. So respect for him.”
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