3 reasons why Khamzat Chimaev vs. Nate Diaz is the fight to make and 2 reasons why the UFC should avoid it

After his big win over Li Jingliang at UFC 267 this weekend, fans across the globe are all asking the same question – who is next to face welterweight sensation Khamzat Chimaev?

There can be no doubt that Chimaev will be given a big-name opponent in his next fight. One name that has been mentioned is Nate Diaz.

While Diaz isn’t ranked above Khamzat Chimaev right now, ‘Borz’ has already shown interest in facing the Stockton native. So should the UFC book this fight?

There are pros and cons for this clash both ways. So here are three reasons why Khamzat Chimaev vs. Nate Diaz is the fight to book and two reasons why the UFC should avoid it.

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#3. Fight to make - Khamzat Chimaev could become an even bigger star with a win over Nate Diaz

Khamzat Chimaev's star could rise even further with a win over Nate Diaz

Right now, Khamzat Chimaev is arguably the UFC’s fastest rising star. ‘Borz’ rose to fame after reeling off three straight wins in 2020. After taking a year off, he picked up where he left off by destroying Jingliang at UFC 267 last weekend.

The fight seems to have propelled Khamzat Chimaev onto the next level of stardom. Dana White even claimed his walkout at UFC 267 broke the UFC’s record number of views on Instagram Live.

Therefore, it stands to reason that the UFC would love to continue his push as one of their new poster boys. The most logical way to ensure that happens is to put him in the biggest fights possible.

The biggest potential fight for Khamzat Chimaev would naturally be a shot at the UFC welterweight title. However, ‘Borz’ may need another win before he gets that. That leaves him looking for an alternative big fight. There would be no bigger clash than one with Nate Diaz.

Diaz has been around the UFC for well over a decade now. Despite a middling record and only one win in the past five years, he remains one of the promotion’s biggest stars. He’s even been partially responsible for some of the UFC’s biggest pay-per-view buyrates.

Logically, then, if Khamzat Chimaev were to take a big win over Diaz, particularly if it came in a headline fight or a co-headliner, he’d become an even bigger star than he currently is. That's something that would likely please the UFC.

Therefore, it’s a no-brainer for the promotion to put this fight together.

#2. Fight to make - Theoretically, Nate Diaz should be a good stylistic match for Khamzat Chimaev

Khamzat Chimaev's wrestling skills might give Nate Diaz some serious problems

A fight between Khamzat Chimaev and Nate Diaz would only truly work for the UFC if Chimaev were to win. Thankfully, the clash sounds like a stylistically good fight for the Chechen-born Swede anyway.

As we’ve seen thus far during his UFC career, Khamzat Chimaev is an absolutely exceptional wrestler and grappler. He’s taken three of his four opponents down with ease, essentially ragdolling them. From top position, he’s a beast with both submissions and ground strikes.

Nate Diaz is, of course, a stellar grappler in his own right. He’s a high-level Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, with eight victories by tapout to his name in the UFC. However, he’s also shown a vulnerability to takedowns and wrestling throughout his tenure with the promotion. The majority of his 11 UFC defeats have come at the hands of powerful wrestlers.

Diaz could attempt to stand with ‘Borz’ instead, but realistically, if Chimaev were to look for a takedown, he’d probably find it.

More to the point, Diaz is now 36 years old. Judging by his most recent fights, the years of wars that he’s taken part in appear to be catching up with him. He now looks less fleet-footed than he once did and doesn’t appear to have quite the same gas tank that he had in his prime.

All in all, a fight between Khamzat Chimaev and Nate Diaz, on paper at least, would hugely favor the No.10-ranked welterweight, making it a smart one for the UFC to book.

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#1. Fight to make - If Khamzat Chimaev were to beat Nate Diaz, the UFC would be in the driving seat

If Khamzat Chimaev were to beat Nate Diaz, he could send him packing from the UFC with three straight losses

Nate Diaz’s UFC record isn’t the best and he hasn’t actually won a fight since his 2019 victory over Anthony Pettis. Howeber, the native of Stockton still remains one of the promotion’s most bankable stars.

With just one fight remaining on his current deal and no indication that he’s willing to sign an extension, there’s a very real chance that Diaz could find himself outside the UFC in the very near future. The promotion would obviously love to ink Diaz to a new deal, but if he is set on testing the waters as a free agent, then from the promotion’s standpoint, it’d be better if he did so coming off a loss.

That would mean Diaz would end his deal with three straight losses, massively denting his negotiating power regardless of his ability to draw the fans in.

Therefore, the UFC would be best to book him in with a stylistically tricky matchup for his final fight. As mentioned previously, Khamzat Chimaev appears to be a horrible stylistic match for the TUF 5 winner.

We’ve seen the UFC pull this tactic on numerous occasions before, most notably when they booked Lyoto Machida as Tito Ortiz’s final opponent in 2008, prior to his free agency. Ultimately, it is a move than tends to work.

With that considered, then, from the UFC’s standpoint, it may well make perfect sense to put this fight together as soon as possible.

#2. Fight to avoid - The chance of Nate Diaz beating Khamzat Chimaev would be too much of a risk for the UFC

Nate Diaz could hurt Khamzat Chimaev's star power badly if he were to beat him

Khamzat Chimaev’s star is rising quickly right now. In order to maximize that potential and ensure he makes the promotion the most money possible, the UFC needs to ensure that he doesn’t lose.

‘Borz’ may well be talented enough to do that for the UFC based on what we’ve seen thus far. He may well have enough talent to defeat any fighter in the welterweight division right now. However, to match him with Nate Diaz, who could walk away from the promotion following the fight, would also be a major risk.

If Diaz were to hand Khamzat Chimaev his first loss, not only would it shatter the aura of invincibility that currently surrounds ‘Borz’, but it’d also smash any chance of him becoming a major star into pieces. More to the point, it’d hand Diaz massive power in any negotiations with the UFC. With competitors like Bellator MMA willing to throw big money around, the Stockton native might be able to name his price.

It isn’t like Diaz hasn’t spoiled the UFC’s plans before, after all. His famous defeat of Conor McGregor at UFC 196 derailed the Irishman’s momentum. While it didn’t affect the star power of ‘The Notorious’, he still lost his unbeatable reputation.

So would the UFC really want to risk Khamzat Chimaev losing his unbeaten record against a fighter who could then just walk away from the promotion? Looking at it like that, it seems like a silly move from all perspectives, meaning the UFC should avoid booking the fight.

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#1. Fight to avoid - Khamzat Chimaev should be matched with someone higher on the ladder

Khamzat Chimaev deserves to fight an opponent ranked higher than him on the ladder

Khamzat Chimaev clearly wants to become a major superstar with the UFC and appears to be well on his way to doing so. However, it’s clear from his interviews that his ultimate goal is to become the best fighter in the promotion.

To get to that level, ‘Borz’ will eventually need to capture the UFC welterweight title. While fans have already begun to wonder what would happen if he were to be given a title shot, the truth is that such talk might be premature.

Khamzat Chimaev’s recent win over Li Jingliang moved him into the top 10 at 170 pounds, but he’s still only ranked at No.10. Theoretically, at least, that means that nine fighters are currently ahead of him in the queue for a title shot. While the UFC could easily match him with Nate Diaz and then have him bypass those nine fighters with a win, from a sporting perspective, it makes far more sense for them to match him with someone higher up the ladder.

A win over, say, Stephen Thompson (No.5) or Neil Magny (No.8) might not hold the same weight with casual fans as a win over Diaz. However, it’d definitely be a better barometer of how Chimaev would do in a possible title fight.

The UFC doesn’t always book fights from a purely sporting perspective, but in this sense, they’d almost be better off doing so. Simply put, Khamzat Chimaev deserves to fight an opponent who’s still relevant as a title contender, not an aging veteran with one win to his name in the last five years.