UFC star Khazmat Chimaev has vowed to make his fight with Nate Diaz later this year "a funeral".
The Swedish fighter is ranked No.3 in the welterweight division, and is the highest-ranked fighter whom champion Kamaru Usman has yet to beat. He's coming off the back of a win over No.4 Gilbert Burns, but will put everything he's worked for on the line against Diaz at UFC 279 on September 10.
In fact, Diaz will be leaving the promotion no matter the result against Chimaev, who is being offered by as a completely unbackable 1/11 favourite with some bookies. The former lightweight title challenger has been begging for one last fight so he can leave the promotion and focus on other goals.
But first, he will have to take on the dangerous grappler Chimaev, who also has a 17-second knockout on his UFC record. And the Swede has promised a vicious finish, telling ESPN through his representative Majdi Shammas: "I am going to handle Nate Diaz's funeral with the UFC."
Diaz is one of the biggest stars in the UFC, despite having more than a loss for every two wins in his career. At one point he was as highly ranked as to be competing for lightweight gold, but he struggled to get a push from the promotion until a star-making short notice fight with Conor McGregor, which he won at the height of the Irishman's fame.
McGregor was due to face Rafael Dos Anjos in March 2016 and challenge for the lightweight title just months after winning featherweight gold. But the Brazilian pulled out with a broken foot and Diaz stepped in on short notice for a welterweight bout.
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But after defeating the Irishman with a second round submission, he has been stifled at various points in his efforts to capitalise on his earning potential. He's fought just four times in the three years since that fight, losing three times including a rematch with McGregor and dominant defeats to Jorge Masvidal and Leon Edwards.
He defeated former world champion Anthony Pettis in his 2019 comeback, but was defeated months later by Masvidal and was iced for a further year-and-a-half. After coming back from the pandemic, Diaz was beaten by Edwards, who is now set for a world title challenge.
Chimaev likely could have waited for an opportunity at the winner of Usman vs Edwards 2, which takes place next month in Salt Lake City. But he has opted to put it all on the line against Diaz despite the Californian no longer being a legitimate contender.
