"That's what's going on here" - Former UFC heavyweight on why promotion booked Nate Diaz in 'worst matchup' against Khamzat Chimaev

Fan favorite Nate Diaz and explosive welterweight Khamzat Chimaev are set to fight each other at UFC 279 on September 10th. The fighters find themselves in opposite stages of their careers, which has led to fans questioning the matchmaking by the UFC.

Former UFC heavyweight fighter Brendan Schaub weighed in on the same on his podcast, The Schaub Show. He mentioned the unhappiness of Diaz fans in regards to the fight before explaining:

"The UFC is going, we've offered him fights. He's [Diaz] up for the Khamzat [Chimaev] fight, he thinks he can beat Khamzat. And Khamzat, we think, is the next big thing. Nate Diaz is a massive superstar. They do this all the time. It's the young lion prospect from Sweden via Chechenya vs. Nate Diaz, the older, more famous, more well-know guy and all they're trying to do is get Diaz's fanbase tune in to watch Khamzat and capture some of that fanbase."

After elaborating on the UFC's strategy to capitalize on the last fight left on Diaz's contract, Schaub delved into why this came to be and why Diaz had no choice:

"Nate Diaz has been throwing shade at Dana [White], so Dana goes, okay, here's Khamzat. You wanna fight? Here's Khamzat. It's literally the worst matchup we could think of."

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Nate Diaz could be fighting for the last time in the UFC against Khamzat Chimaev

After a storied career full of twists and turns, Diaz could be bidding goodbye to the UFC after UFC 279. Although Dana White hasn't ruled out the possibility of a new contract for Diaz, it is widely reported that the longtime UFC fighter will not renew it after his final fight.

Beyond his contract expiration, 'The Stockton Slugger' has expressed his desire to fight YouTube-star-turned boxing enigma, Jake Paul. In order for that to happen, he requires a release from his UFC contract, which he publicly demanded from Dana White.

Schaub, however, warned Diaz of the potential farewell fight he faces in the form of Khamzat Chimaev. 'Borz' has not lost a single fight in his professional career of 11 bouts, compared to the aging Diaz's 3 losses in his last 4 fights.

Schaub went on to praise Chimaev:

"Now we know you're just gonna do this because you want out of your contract, and go on to fight Jake Paul. That's fine but you're gonna walk through some f**king fire. Some Chechnyan via Sweden f**king fire and this kid is all-around good. But I like chaos and I think it would be hilarious if Nate won."

Check out Brendan Schaub's complete comments on his podcast below: