"Each round he got closer and closer" - Nick Maximov on Nate Diaz cheering him up at UFC Fight Night 200
Nick Maximov has spoken about how Nate Diaz helped him during his fight against Punahele Soriano at UFC Vegas 47 last weekend.
In what proved to be a thrilling encounter, Nick Maximov and Punahele Soriano went to war for three rounds in Sin City. The two middleweight contenders gave it everything they had and in the end, it was Maximov who came away with a split decision triumph.
While some questions were raised regarding the scoring, the 24-year-old product of the Nick Diaz Academy was still impressive as he took his pro record to 8-0. During an interview with Ariel Helwani, Maximov gave props to Diaz for his assistance during the bout. He said:
“It’s funny, I heard him in the back each round, and each round he got closer and closer, and eventually in the third round he was damn near in the cage with me! I was like, that’s cool, he’s about to hop in and fight this fool for me! It was cool.”
Watch Nick Maximov's appearance on The MMA Hour below:
Maximov's professional record stands at 8-0. He is 2-0 in the UFC and revealed in his interview with Helwani that he'd like to return to action as soon as possible. Interestingly, he has even called out Khamzat Chimaev.
It remains to be seen who he fights next.
The future for Nate Diaz
The constant battle between Nate Diaz and the UFC has always been fascinating. Now, fans are concerned that we aren't hearing more about when he's next going to climb inside the octagon - potentially for the final time.
There's been a lot of chatter about where he's going to end up after his UFC run, with a pro boxing fight against Jake Paul being rumored. Prior to that, he's been heavily linked with a showdown against Dustin Poirier, potentially at welterweight.
Diaz last competed against Leon Edwards in the summer of 2021 and while he didn't come away with the win, he reminded everyone that he's going to stay in the fight until the bitter end.
It remains to be seen who Nate Diaz fights next.