Khamzat Chimaev reveals UFC 279 pay-check and Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov's generous offer to Nate Diaz
Khamzat Chimaev recently revealed that Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov had offered Nate Diaz a substantial amount of money to fight him at UFC 279.
UFC 279 is notoriously known as one of the most chaotic pay-per-views that took place last year. Backstage brawls between the fighters meant that the pre-fight press conference was canceled and the drama continued at the weigh-ins. 'Borz' stepped onto the scales and weighed in at 7.5lbs over the welterweight limit, throwing the card in doubt.
Thankfully, the UFC brass scrambled and the entire card was reshuffled to accommodate the changes. Khamzat Chimaez instead fought Kevin Holland and Nate Diaz faced fellow veteran Tony Ferguson.
Khamzat Chimaev flicked off the crowd as he got off the stage at the UFC 279 weigh-in.
No official word yet but it looks like we're getting Diaz vs Ferguson as the Main Event. π₯ π£ https://t.co/f4MQhXXuNP
Now looking back, Khamzat Chimaev has revealed at the time that he was trying to do everything to get Nate Diaz to accept the fight anyway. The Chechen-born Swede claimed he offered Diaz his entire fight purse as well as Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov, who reportedly wanted to double Chimaev's offer to Diaz:
"For the fight against Diaz it was $1,000,000 [Chimaev's fight purse] and the PPV percent. When everything changed they still paid $1,000,000. I offered everything to Diaz, all my money to make it happen. Then Ramzan called me and told me that he was ready to even pay Diaz $2,000,000 for the fight. I told Nate that they called and offered more money but he refused anyway."
Watch the video here:
#MMA #UFCAccording to Khamzat Chimaev Kadyrov offered 2 million for the Nate Diaz fight π #MMA #UFC https://t.co/XJeUhETBl5
Henry Cejudo weighs in on potential fight between Khamzat Chimaev and Robert Whittaker
Due to Khamzat Chimaev's dominance at welterweight and his recent UFC 279 weight-miss, many fans believe the 28-year-old is destined to compete in the middleweight division.
Amongst the competitors in the division above is former champion Robert Whittaker. Fans believe a bout between the pair would be highly entertaining and 'Borz' has already teased its potential with a post on Twitter.
"Good guy vs Bad guy. Let's make it happen"
Chimaev has his eyes on Whittaker next π
(via @KChimaev) https://t.co/6RRoATrwep
Weighing in on the fight was Henry Cejudo, who spoke to Helen Yee earlier this week. According to 'Triple C', whilst he's open to the idea of the bout, he doesn't believe Khamzat Chimaev will win the fight. Cejudo explained:
"I don't think he'll win that fight. I really don't, because Whittaker's no joke, man. Whittaker will get up [if he gets taken down]. He's a bigger man too, and he can strike. You know, you don't need to be a wrestler to really understand [wrestling] defense. You just need to know how to defend [takedowns] and get back up [when taken down]."
Catch Henry Cejudo's comments below (3:00):