The final fight on Nate Diaz's current UFC contract will be against Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 279.
That's right. 'The Stockton Slugger' will come up against one of the most feared fighters in the promotion on September 10 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, reports ESPN's Brett Okamoto.
The highly-anticipated five-round bout has been verbally agreed, according to UFC Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell, and will be the main event at UFC 279.
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It has been a frustrating few months for Diaz. Back in March, he told UFC president Dana White to release him from his contract having failed to land a big fight.
Then in May, Diaz posted a picture of himself "taking a p**s" outside the UFC Performance Institute building as contract talks with the promotion continued to stall.
But it appears the 37-year-old has finally got his wish. Chimaev has since confirmed on Instagram that the bout will take place at welterweight.
Dana White is a huge of the unbeaten Chimaev. “The guy’s special. I’ve been in this game my whole life, I’ve never seen anything like him," he said back in 2020.
"He’s special, he’s different and he wants to fight again.
“I’ve never been in a position where I’m like, ‘Who’s next? How do we get him a fight? How do we get him over here, how do we get him over there? How do we do this, how do we do that?’
White added: “It’s fun and I like it and I think when you’re a fight fan a guy like this is who you love to watch and follow and hate and whatever it might be. This guy is one of the most special fighters I’ve ever seen, if not the most special guy that I’ve ever come across.”
Diaz hasn't picked up a win since his victory over Anthony Pettis in August 2019.
He suffered a TKO defeat to Jorge Masvidal in a 'BMF' bout at UFC 244 and then lost to Leon Edwards last June in a crazy finish which saw 'The Stockton Slugger' connect with a huge left hand with only a minute to go.
Thoughts on the match-up?
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Topics: Nate Diaz, Khamzat Chimaev, UFC, Dana White
Jack Kenmare