Khamzat Chimaev calls out Nate Diaz
The roulette wheel continues to turn for two popular UFC fighters. And now it should be asked, would Dana White and the UFC set up a fight between Khamzat Chimaev and Nate Diaz?
While fighters at Middleweight and Welterweight have started to shy away from Khamzat Chimaev, Stockton's Nate Diaz is not that type. Say the words "lets fight" and you can bet the 35-year-old Californian will be there.
UFC President Dana White said he didn't want to rush the 26-year-old Swede along, but finish after finish had him rethinking that plan. Perhaps he, as Ali Abdelaziz has said in the past, "is real, he's very real," and Dana could now be willing to give him a ranked opponent.
A couple of Twitter jabs might have set up the next fight for Khamzat Chimaev and Nate Diaz
Diaz isn't the top 10 fighter that Khamzat Chimaev was looking for, he currently sits 13th at 170. But after a Twitter exchange, one has to consider this as a very viable and exciting match up. Even though many may ask who Khamzat has beaten, eventually, he needs to be tested.
Khamzat's reply to the tweet of: "I don't play fighting. I fight so get your soft body to Vegas and I will smoke you on December 19, you are a real fighter so lets go @NateDiaz209" will undoubtedly make many MMA fans mouth water.
Chimaev is 1-0 at Welterweight in the UFC, book ended by his other two finishes at Middleweight. Because of his age, bouncing between the weight classes isn't yet that terrible for him.
In 32 career fights, Nate Diaz has only been finished three times, one of which was the cage side doctor's call. He's been a human punching bag. Hit Diaz as hard as you want, he goes down and gets back up. His jiu-jitsu, no matter how you feel about him, is next level, and his gas tank speaks for itself.
Chimaev will have issues putting him away, if he can get close at all. We all know Diaz's modus operandi. Get punched in the face, smile at you, and flip you a double bird. Nate Diaz is better at 170 than at Lightweight, while Khamzat Chimaev is better at Middleweight than at Welterweight so far.
There's no doubt that this fight, at whatever weight class, can spring board Khamzat Chimaev. We haven't seen him tested on the ground, but Nate would test him harder than ever in his career. That includes in his final fight for BRAVE against Mzwandile Hlongwa.
With the UFC teasing Conor McGregor versus Dustin Poirier 2 as the December 19 main event, this would slide in nicely as a co-main event. It may even pit the two winners against each other. It's just a matter of time before the MMA press hits Dana White with this question, as he preps for another Fight Island card.