UFC president Dana White has insisted that he ‘cares about Nate Diaz a lot’ amid criticism of the legend’s upcoming fight with Khamzat Chimaev.
Fan favourite Diaz has one fight left on his current UFC deal and had long struggled to agree on an opponent, but it was last week announced that the American will face fellow welterweight Chimaev in the main event of UFC 279 on 10 September.
Diaz (20-13) last competed in June 2021, losing on points to Leon Edwards, while Chimaev is the fastest rising star in the UFC. The Russian-born Swede is 11-0 in professional MMA, having won his first 10 bouts via stoppage. The 28-year-old remarkably absorbed just one significant strike across his first four UFC contests, before beating Gilbert Burns via decision this April in a fight of the year contender.
Some fans have suggested that White booked Diaz, 37, against Chimaev out of spite, with the consensus being that the younger fighter will run through the veteran. White, however, backed up reports that Diaz in fact requested the fight.
“I care about Nate a lot,” White said at a press conference on Tuesday. “I like Nate, and Nate came in here long before that fight was ever made, and we were talking about it being his last fight.
“I said: ‘Listen, kid, you think about the wars that Nate Diaz has put on and the incredible fights and the big fights that he’s done with us; go do whatever you want to do, man.’
“But getting a fight done with him isn’t as easy as seems. Everybody’s like: ‘Well, why don’t you make a fight?’ Well, he asked for [UFC heavyweight champion] Francis Ngannou. I could go on forever, but I won’t. We got it done. [Chimaev is] the fight he wanted.
“And it’s a good fight, it’s a fight that people will want to see, it’s a fight that people will be interested in.”
Chimaev this week expressed doubt that Diaz will turn up to their fight, saying: “I still don’t believe that guy’s going to come and show up, that skinny boy.
“We will see what’s happening. I’m just waiting for 10 September, it doesn’t matter who. If he wants to fight [at 185lbs], then we can do that. Just show up. I can fight [at 185 or 205lbs], it doesn’t matter.”
