5 reasons why Khamzat Chimaev has little to gain by beating Nate Diaz
In one of the biggest news pieces in some time, it’s been announced that UFC 279, which goes down in early September, will be headlined by a welterweight clash between Khamzat Chimaev and Nate Diaz.
Khamzat Chimaev vs. Nate Diaz set to headline UFC 279 bloodyelbow.com/2022/7/19/2327…
UFC fans around the world will be salivating over Khamzat Chimaev vs. Nate Diaz, but does ‘Borz’ have anything to gain from beating the TUF 5 winner?
While Diaz remains one of the biggest names in MMA, for Chimaev, a win over the Stockton-based fighter might not mean all that much.
Here are five reasons why Khamzat Chimaev has little to gain by beating Nate Diaz.
#5. Nate Diaz is probably past his best at this point
At his peak, there’s no disputing that Nate Diaz was a truly fantastic fighter. Not only has the Stockton-based welterweight been in the UFC for well over a decade now, dating back to the summer of 2007, but he’s also climbed to the top of the mountain, or thereabouts, on more than one occasion.
Diaz was a genuine contender for the lightweight title during his initial run at 155lbs. When he returned there in 2011 following a stint as a welterweight, he quickly earned a title shot, although he came up short against then-champion Benson Henderson.
More recently, he became a bigger star than ever before in 2016 by becoming the first fighter to defeat Conor McGregor in the octagon. He was also involved in wars with the likes of Anthony Pettis and Jorge Masvidal in the years that followed that fight.
However, while he did come close to pulling off a comeback in the fifth round, his most recent bout, against top welterweight contender Leon Edwards, seemed to show that Diaz is beginning to noticeably slow down.
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What an INSANE finish to the Leon Edwards vs. Nate Diaz fight! 🤯
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If this is the case, it’d be understandable. After all, Diaz is now 37 years old, and has taken almost two decades of damage in MMA.
So does Khamzat Chimaev really have a lot to gain by defeating a past-his-prime fighter like Diaz? The truth is, probably not. ‘Borz’ has already shown that he’s a top-level fighter – more on that later – and he’s already made a big name for himself in his short UFC career.
Therefore, all he’d be doing by beating Diaz is snacking on an aging fighter, and at this point, he ought to have bigger fish to fry.
#4. Khamzat Chimaev has already picked up a bigger win by beating Gilbert Burns
If Khamzat Chimaev were still looking for a breakout win to establish himself as a major star and a genuine title contender in the UFC’s welterweight division, then perhaps he’d have something to gain by beating a big name like Nate Diaz.
However, ‘Borz’ already picked up a huge breakout win over Gilbert Burns in March.
Not only is Burns still in his prime – unlike Diaz – but prior to his defeat at the hands of Chimaev, the only fighter to beat him since 2018 was reigning UFC welterweight kingpin Kamaru Usman.
Sure, it’s arguable that from a name value perspective, Diaz is still a bigger star than ‘Durinho’, but Chimaev’s win over the Brazilian was widely considered one of the best fights of 2022. More to the point, outside of a win over Usman, the Chechnyan could not have beaten a tougher foe.
last night!This was WAR 💥
@KChimaev and @GilbertDurinho brought the 🔥 last night! https://t.co/LMklFEpYCX
With that considered, the only fights Chimaev should be aiming for right now are a title bout against the winner of Usman vs. Leon Edwards, or perhaps a clash with Colby Covington. To aim lower with a fight against Diaz is largely pointless for him.
#3. There’s no proof that a UFC fighter can become a big name by osmosis
If there were any proof that a UFC fighter could become a bigger star in the eyes of the fans by defeating a big name, then defeating Nate Diaz might be a worthwhile exercise for Khamzat Chimaev.
‘Borz’ is already a big name with UFC fans, and has a huge following on social media, with four million Instagram followers. However, he hasn’t drawn over a million pay-per-view buys like Diaz has just yet.
While the UFC often tries to create a new star by setting them up in a fight with an aging legend, we’ve seen on numerous occasions that this approach doesn’t always work.
Chris Weidman, for instance, didn’t come close to the level of stardom enjoyed by Anderson Silva despite two victories over ‘The Spider’. Holly Holm knocked out Ronda Rousey and didn’t reach her level, and Cain Velasquez never captured the imagination of the fans in the way that Brock Lesnar did despite smashing him.
So can Chimaev expect to become a bigger star by beating Diaz? Perhaps, but then it didn’t happen to Leon Edwards when he beat the Stockton-based fighter. If he can’t capture some of Diaz’s name value, then what is there to gain from this fight?
#2. Khamzat Chimaev might be seen as the UFC’s hired gun by hardcore fans
Ever since the UFC announced that Khamzat Chimaev and Nate Diaz would be facing off at UFC 279, a number of hardcore fans, particularly online and on social media, have been somewhat up in arms, criticizing the booking.
In the eyes of these fans, Diaz is being thrown to the wolves. He is being handed the toughest possible challenge due to the fact that he plans to leave the UFC after the bout, which stands as the final one on his current contract with the promotion.
Chimaev, of course, has little to do with the issues between Diaz and the UFC. However, given some of the statements that he’s already made – he was quoted as saying that he’d be “handling Diaz’s funeral with the UFC” following the fight being announced – it’s easy to view him as the promotion’s hired gun.
Khamzat Chimaev (@KChimaev) provided this comment about the fight to ESPN. Translated from Swedish by his representative Majdi Shammas.
"I am going to handle Nate Diaz's funeral with the UFC."
Is there anything wrong with that, per say? Arguably not, as Lyoto Machida was put in the same position when he faced Tito Ortiz in the final bout of Ortiz’s contract in 2008. Then again, ‘The Dragon’ was not as vocal as ‘Borz’.
While casual fans probably won’t care too much, hardcore fans may well end up looking down upon Chimaev due to his apparently close relationship with the UFC’s brass, including Dana White. This could prevent him from reaching the levels of stardom that he’s aiming for.
#1. Everyone expects Khamzat Chimaev to smash Nate Diaz anyway
Part of the reason why Khamzat Chimaev has become such a major star for the UFC in a relatively short period of time is that he’s always been able to do things that nobody really expected him to do.
Prior to his UFC debut in the summer of 2020, nobody had even heard of him – but that didn’t stop him from beating two opponents in 10 days, setting a UFC record in the process.
Everyone wondered how he’d deal with the step-up to middleweight when he fought seasoned veteran Gerald Meerschaert, but ‘Borz’ needed just 17 seconds to take him out.
Fights
wins under his belt 🤯The Hype Train continues! 🚂
9️⃣ Fights
9️⃣ Wins
9️⃣ Finishes
Khamzat Chimaev only made his UFC debut in July and already has 3️⃣ wins under his belt 🤯
#UFCVegas11 https://t.co/aHPkUrZEj3
There were also question marks over how he’d step up in competition against Li Jingliang and Gilbert Burns – but both men were also beaten by the Chechnyan.
The only expectation that fans will have in terms of Chimaev’s fight with Nate Diaz is that ‘Borz’ will simply smash his way through the Stockton-based fighter.
After all, Chimaev would’ve been a horrible stylistic match for Diaz when he was in his prime, let alone now that he’s past his prime.
Sure, it’d be noteworthy if ‘Borz’ were able to stop Diaz, as few fighters have ever been able to manage that during his MMA career, but outside of a sudden knockout, there’s nothing Chimaev can do in this fight to really stun the fans.
In turn, if he can’t do that, then what does he honestly have to gain from winning a fight that everyone expects him to win anyway? The truth is, very little.