"Nate Diaz in the world of boxing would never entertain that fight in a gazillion years" - Ariel Helwani explains why a fight between 'The Stockton Slugger' and Khamzat Chimaev makes no sense
MMA journalist Ariel Helwani has explained why a fight between UFC veteran Nate Diaz and rising contender Khamzat Chimaev wouldn't make sense. Helwani explained the scenario from a promoter's standpoint, using Eddie Hearn as an example.
During the latest edition of The MMA Hour, Ariel Helwani mentioned the major differences between Diaz and Chimaev regarding their skillset and name value. He claimed that no promoter of Diaz would entertain a fight for their client against someone like Chimaev in a "gazillion" years:
"That fight makes no sense... think about this: If promoter X was working with Nathan Diaz; let's say Eddie Hearn promoted Nathan Diaz. Do you think Eddie Hearn or any promoter... would try to book his guy with someone like Khamzat? Given the match-up, given the skill-set, given where they're at in their respective careers, given who Khamzat has fought... why in the world would this make any sense for Diaz? Nathan Diaz in the world of boxing would never entertain that fight in a gazillion years, it would never even be brought to his attention."
Helwani went on to explain why he believed the offer to fight Chimaev was not genuine:
"Why is it a bogus offer? The only reason it was offered was two-fold... either A: If you're gonna leave us, you're gonna leave on a loss or B: You're gonna turn this down, your contract will be extended. Those are the only reasons, there was never a true genuine interest, there was not a true genuine demand to see this fight. So the only reason it's offered is for those two reasons... and that's why it's bogus."
Watch Ariel Helwani's comments on Nate Diaz vs. Khamzat Chimaev below:
Diaz's last fight in the UFC was against Leon Edwards at UFC 263, in a fight that was won by 'Rocky'. Despite rocking Edwards in the final seconds of the fight, the Stockton brawler couldn't capitalize on the situation and walk out with the win.
Nate Diaz's last win in the UFC was back in 2019 when he defeated Anthony Pettis at UFC 241. Following his win over 'Showtime', Diaz called out Jorge Masvidal, whom he lost to at UFC 244 in the BMF title fight.
🏼 
♂️I Would like to request to be released from the @ufc @danawhite @hunter
I apologize for asking online but u don’t give me a fight asap I got shit to do
🏝 🤼♀️ 🥊 👊🏼 🏃♂️
Khamzat Chimaev will return to the octagon against Gilbert Burns
Khamzat Chimaev's next UFC outing will take place on the 9th of April in Jacksonville, Florida. 'Borz' will be fighting former UFC welterweight title contender Gilbert Burns at UFC 273.
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The fight everyone has been asking for 👀
@GilbertDurinho vs @KChimaev
[ #UFC273 | April 9 | @VyStarVetArena | Tickets 🔗 ufc.ac/3rAXUe0 ] https://t.co/6qrDJ7Wss6
Chimaev is still unbeaten, having made his UFC debut in 2020. In his first year with Dana White's company, 'Borz' secured three big wins across two weight classes.
With a victory over 'Durinho' in April, Chimaev will aim to fight for the UFC welterweight title in the near future.