UFC fans fear Khamzat Chimaev could "kill" Nate Diaz when they clash at UFC 279 later this year.
Diaz has been begging for an opponent for his final contracted outing with the likes of Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor thrown into the mix. Previous leaked match-ups suggested that Diaz had finally found his match in Chechen star Chimaev, who was searching for an opponent after defeating Gilbert Burns.
After initial delays prompted Diaz to make an emotional plea to be released from his contract, the fight has now been booked in against Chimaev on September 10 at UFC 279. Fans have reacted to the news with one questioning UFC president Dana White, commenting: "Oh my god Dana really sacrificed him [Diaz]. Wow." Another agreed: “Khamzat will end up killing Nate in his last fight." One fan also predicted Diaz's downfall, adding: “They're trying to kill Nate before he leaves the UFC.”
One fan even attempted to make an accurate prediction by posting a photoshopped image of Diaz being manhandled by Chimaev, with the caption: "How Khamzat vs Nate will play out." Another commenter agreed: “If I was Nate I’d walk in the cage, tap on Khamzat's shoulder and walk out. #DiazSalute.”
Chimaev has yet to be defeated since arriving in the UFC having defeated the likes of Gilbert Burns and Li Jingliang during his quick rise. The Chechen star is ranked at No.3 in the 170lb rankings and will move one step closer to a title shot with victory over Diaz.
Meanwhile his rival has not been in action since being beaten by Leon Edwards last June. His career has tailed off since his epic victory over McGregor in 2016 having won just once in his four fights since that date. It looked at several points as if Diaz would not compete in the UFC again as his contract row heightened with UFC president Dana White.
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Diaz requested on multiple occasions to be released from his deal so that he can pursue options in the boxing ring including a fight with Jake Paul. White even gave the green light for Diaz to face Paul upon his departure but later revealed he was continuing a search for an opponent, which has now been confirmed to be Chimaev.
It will be an extremely tough ask for Diaz to overcome his new rival, and UFC legend Chael Sonnen has questioned why the promotion have elected to make the fight. "Everybody in the UFC is either champions or contenders, he said during a video on his YouTube channel. "So if we're going to book a main event at Madison Square Garden it's got to be something.
"And we can't call it a number one contenders match when one guy isn't coming [to be No. 1 contender], we know that going in. So what are we doing? Do these two have a personal beef? Well I got some bad news there, no, they don't."
