Nate Diaz didn’t think much of Khamzat Chimaev prior to UFC 279, but it appears he thinks even less now that the event is over.
Less than two days ago, Diaz was scheduled to face Chimaev in the main event, but a botched weight cut from the undefeated Chechen led to the promotion scrambling to find new fights for each of them. Diaz ended up headlining the card against Tony Ferguson, while Chimaev got matched with Kevin Holland in a catchweight bout.
Both ended up scoring submission victories, though Diaz wasn’t impressed by Chimaev’s performance, especially after all the drama he caused by failing to make weight.
“Lame, scared, boring rookie,” Diaz said when grading Chimaev’s win at the UFC 279 post-fight press conference. “Whack, p****, lame, d*** sucker. All those.”
According to Diaz, he was at the last part of his cut Friday morning when UFC officials reached him to inform him that Chimaev wouldn’t be coming close to the 171 pound welterweight limit.
As distressing as that news was, Diaz didn’t really want to deal with it until after he did his job by making weight.
“I was in the sauna on my last pound, and I was like what the f***?” Diaz said. “Whatever, let me finish this up and then we’ll talk about it. It was all just a matter of time, so let’s get on with the weigh-ins and then tell me what is going after I have eaten and rehydrated.
“But, I realized that this motherf ****** was scared. He was punched, and he became scared during the press conference. That was what I expected .”
The pre-fight press conference on Thursday ended after Chimaev got into two separate backstage altercations – one with Holland, and the other with Diaz and his team. Numerous sources told MMA Fighting that at one point water bottles were being thrown, which ultimately led to the entire press conference being scrapped.
As crazy as it was, the cancellation of the press conference didn’t compare to the events that unfolded when Chimaev gained 178. weight. 5 pounds, which then forced the UFC to scramble to save the card at the last minute.
Diaz was forced to agree to meet Ferguson at lightning speed. But he said that only happened after the UFC came through with enough money to make it worth his while.
” “It was almost like I had to be paid,” Diaz recalled. You can make me switch people with you on one ****** days. I have just reduced 15 pounds. If you ask me to change my opponent, then you’ve got to give me more money than any champions within this organization. You’re just like, “Stupid! We already give you [that]'” and they want me to get more. I lost count [how much they gave me].”
Whatever he was paid, Diaz took the fight and ultimately submitted Ferguson with a fourth-round guillotine choke, which was also the final bout on his current UFC contract.
Now, as he prepares to hit free agency and leave the UFC after a 15-year run, Diaz looks forward to pursuing opportunities across combat sports.
Diaz stated that he hopes to be back in the UFC someday, but his departure would make it difficult to organize a trilogy against Conor McGregor.
Of course, McGregor already chimed in with his thoughts on Diaz declaring plans to take over a sport like boxing — something he claims the Irish superstar was unable to accomplish — while adding that the Stockton, Calf. Native wouldn’t be anything without me .”
Diaz didn’t seem to care much or even pay attention to what McGregor had to say, though he promised that whatever unfinished business remains between them would be settled one day. McGregor is open to the idea of extending their rivalry by a cross-over fight in boxing.
“I would like to finish that, the trilogy for sure,” Diaz said. “That would not be a trilogy in boxing, that would be [fight] No. 1. We could do some of those, too, but I’m going to go do what he tried to do and show him how to do it.”
