In a surprising revelation on Friday, Dana White said that a Nate Diaz vs Khamzat Chimaev fight was offered to the Stockton superstar before UFC 267.
A notable story in the MMA sphere this week was the idea of a matchup between UFC superstar Nate Diaz (20-13), and fast-rising Chechen sledgehammer Khamzat Chimaev (10-0). Since “Borz” called for the fight following his triumphant return to the Octagon after over a year away from a prolonged bout with COVID-19.
Diaz is on the last bout of his current UFC deal. With his lofty status in the sport, and Chimaev having just two fights in the promotion’s welterweight division, the matchup seemed unlikely at first. However, in the days following his destructive win over Li Jingliang at UFC 267, the UFC boss told TMZ Sports he was “100%” open to the idea of making that fight.
Dana White reveals Nate Diaz vs Khamzat Chimaev offer before UFC 267
Well, in a Friday interview with “>BT Sport, the promotional president admitted that interest didn’t begin after Chimaev’s fourth win in the Octagon. It was something he formally offered to the 36-year-old before his newest star from Eastern Europe even made his long-awaited return.
[Diaz] was offered that before we even went to Abu Dhabi. So he was offered that before that fight [between Chimaev and Li] even happened. But that was my point. As incredible as Khamzat is and the things he has accomplished and the hype and energy that’s around him right now, he’s still got some big fights ahead of him, White said.
The unbeaten 27-year-old has taken the sport by storm. He has been scored on less in the Octagon than he has wins inside of it, and he has received little resistance from the talented veterans he’s scrapped with so far. Because of his size as a former middleweight, and dominant wrestling, there are those in the media and fan base that think the bout could be a mismatch for Diaz. A skilled Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner who has long had trouble with gifted wrestlers during his career.
White explains that Diaz vs Chimaev is not throwing Nate to the wolves
White does not subscribe to that notion and is looking to adjust the narrative on a possible Diaz vs Chimaev fight being a mismatch. Using Diaz’s recent Instagram posts that suggest his interest in facing the winner of the UFC 268 main event between welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington, as an example. Explaining that if the Californian is down for a fight with Usman, a bout with Chimaev certainly shouldn’t be seen as an unfair pairing.
I’m in a situation now where they’re like; I just did an interview with [BarStool Sports contributor] Robbie Fox yesterday, and he’s like, ‘Well, everybody feels like you’re feeding Nate Diaz to the wolves [in a fight with Chimaev]. This guy’s got four fights. Nate Diaz has been here for years. Nate Diaz was just asking for an Usman fight. THAT would be feeding Nate Diaz to the wolves. Listen, Khamzat Chimaev looks incredible, but he’s never fought anybody inside the top 10,” said White.
The last guy he fought was No. 11 and he’s never fought anybody in the top five. He’s never been in any of those kinds of fights yet. As incredible as he looks, let’s be realistic here and what he’s done in a short amount of time and how popular he’s become. So if you wanted a fight with Kamaru Usman, you shouldn’t be worried about Khamzat Chimaev.”
Do you agree with White, and if Diaz really wants someone the level of Usman, taking a fight with Chimaev should make sense for him and fans?
