It’s not a secret anymore that Nate Diaz and UFC are not in good terms. It’s been a while since Diaz has started asking his release from the company. And after UFC 279, it’s very likely that fans will never see Diaz again inside the UFC octagon.
UFC president, Dana White and Nate Diaz have gone back and forth. In a recent interview, Dana White explain the situation with Nate Diaz. White certainly did not find it easy to book a fight for Diaz when he was asking to fight Adesanya and Ngannou. It’s also now confirmed that Dana White is willing to offer a huge contract to Diaz to resign with UFC. However, Diaz wants to retire from his UFC career.
After a lot of waiting since his last fight against Leon Edwards at UFC 263, Nate Diaz finally gets his opponent at UFC 279. He fights Khamzat Chimaev in the main event.
Khamzat Chimaev is a nightmare matchup for Nate Diaz. And it’s obvious that UFC is trying to give a huge push to its next potential superstar with this matchup. No doubt, this will be an exciting fight for the fans. But, Chimaev is likely to dominate Nate Diaz.
Many fans were frustrated to see Dana White book this fight and even accused White of trying to punish Nate Diaz for speaking against the company. Former UFC fighter and analyst, Dan Hardy agrees with that notion as he calls this fight an assasination attempt.
In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani on the MMA hour, Dan Hardy explained that this is not a fair fight. And it will be very hard to watch.
“It feels like we’re getting to the point where someone should start thinking about pressing charges. It doesn’t feel like a fair fight. It feels like a very, very cruel thing to do to someone that is a legitimate legend. Because they’ve spoken out against the organization, they’re going to get executed live on TV. That’s kind of how it feels, and it makes me feel uncomfortable to think that’s the way it’s going to go down.”
Can Nate Diaz out grapple Khamzat Chimaev?
Nate Diaz has good grappling and submissions. He also has an impressive gas tank for five round fights. However, he has always struggled against good wrestlers. And someone like Khamzat Chimaev can just control him effortlessly if the fight goes to ground. And Dan Hardy seems to agree with that notion.
“I think he gets beaten up horrendously from the top position. I think it’s going to be uncomfortable to watch, and I think it’s going to leave the UFC in a very, very bad light.
“I just hope Nate comes through it alright, because I think he’s got good opportunities outside the UFC. It’s just a shame that they’re going to do this assassination attempt on him before he leaves.”
Nate Diaz has shown interest in fighting Jake Paul in a boxing matchup. And even if he does not fight Jake Paul, Diaz may get lucrative offers from other MMA or Boxing organizations. But, he will have to overcome his last hurdle in UFC first at UFC 279.