"Nate lost four-and-a-half rounds" - Khamzat Chimaev's coach says fans are "delusional" to back Nate Diaz for his performance against Leon Edwards
Khamzat Chimaev's coach Andreas Michael feels that the people who came out in support of Nate Diaz for his performance against Leon Edwards are "delusional."
The Allstars Training Center head coach recently sat down for a chat with Submission Radio and commented on Diaz's fight against Edwards. Michael said that the Stockton native was outclassed for the majority of the fight and that a single moment should not change that fact:
"I think that the fans are a bit delusional sometimes... Nate lost like four-and-a-half rounds [against Edwards], to be honest with you... Or are we looking at a different fight?... Leon dominated that fight... You cannot judge a fight by one moment. You judge a fight by the whole rounds, the whole fight you judge. Nate was losing 10-9 on all the judges' [scorecards]."
Watch the full interview below:
Diaz and Edwards competed in a five-round fight at UFC 263. 'Rocky' outclassed his opponent for the majority of the contest but Diaz landed a heavy shot in the closing minutes of the fight, wobbling Edwards.
However, the 30-year-old Englishman weathered the storm and won the contest via unanimous decision.
Daniel Cormier weighs in on Nate Diaz vs. Khamzat Chimaev
UFC 279 will mark a rare occasion when a non-title, five-round fight will serve as the main event of a UFC pay-per-view.
Although fans appear to be excited about the matchup between Nate Diaz and Khamzat Chimaev, many believe that the contest is a mismatch. This includes former two-division champion Daniel Cormier.
In the latest episode of the DC & RC Show, Cormier opined that the matchmaking was not ideal as the two athletes are at very different stages in their careers:
"I don't believe that Nate will go down quietly. But I just think that at this point in their careers, Nate is on a different path than Khamzat Chimaev... When you look at what he has done recently, you can't just say Nate Diaz is in title contention. Popularity-wise, sure. But in terms of what he has put on paper in regards to his fighting, you can't say that. Khamzat is every bit of what you'll expect a soon to be title challenger to be... I do believe it's a mismatch."
Watch the full episode below: