"Whatever...beat me" - When Nate Diaz claimed he "gave up on preparing" for challenging Khamzat Chimaev fight
Former UFC star Nate Diaz had a rocky relationship with the promotion. Presumably because of this, he was given the Goliathan task of taking on Khamzat Chimaev in the last fight on his contract. The pair were expected to face each other in the UFC 279 main event in September 2022. However, they fought different opponents due to a wild turn of events during the fight week.
While Chimaev did quick work of Kevin Holland in a catchweight bout, Diaz defeated Tony Ferguson by fourth-round submission in the main event. Chimaev's performance against Holland led many to believe that Diaz stood no chance against the Chechen-born fighter.
When asked how did he prepare to take on 'Borz' during the fight camp, Diaz said at the post-fight press conference:
"I gave up on preparing. I was just like, 'Whaterver... beat me.'"
Members of MMA media asked Diaz what he thought of Chimaev's credentials. He responded:
"I think I've been stuck in the cage for a long time ,and I got to do what I got to do to get the f*** out. Whatever the fight, the toughest guy, whatever you want to make of him or call him, or anybody... I'm like, 'Uh, I'm just ready to rock and roll.'"
Check out Nate Diaz's comments below (2:09):
Khamzat Chimaev is on the verge of a title shot after his recent triumph
While Nate Diaz's comments could lead many to believe that the Stockton native dismissed the hype around Khamzat Chimaev's future, things didn't turn out that way. Chimaev was on the sidelines for a long time with recurring health issues.
Having overcome the struggles, he returned to competition against Robert Whittaker in the UFC 308 co-main event on Oct. 26. Many expected it to be a competitive affair, given Chimaev's dominant wrestling and Whittaker's formidable takedown defense.
Unfortunately for Whittaker, Khamzat Chimaev imposed his will and won by a first-round submission. The win earned the Chechen-born fighter a top-three spot in the official middleweight rankings.
'Borz' is now a frontrunner for the middleweight title shot along with No.1-ranked Sean Strickland. However, the UFC hasn't officially announced the next challenger for champion Dricus du Plessis, who secured his first title defense against Israel Adesanya at UFC 305.