"Always gonna expect Nate Diaz to put on a tough fight" - Vicente Luque shares his prediction for Khamzat Chimaev vs. 'The Stockton Slugger'

Vicente Luque recently gave his take on the upcoming welterweight showdown between Nate Diaz and Khamzat Chimaev.

Diaz and 'Borz' are set to lock horns in the main event of UFC 279 scheduled for September 10 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. This will be the Stockton native's final fight of his UFC contract, where he will be looking to revive himself after a winless period of three years.

In a recent interview with Mike Owens of LowKickMMA, Vicente Luque discussed the welterweight matchup. 'The Silent Assassin' acknowledged Diaz's fighting prowess, but chose 'Borz' as the match's potential winner.

The Brazilian recalled Chimaev's performance against Gilbert Burns at UFC 273 and mentioned how 'Borz' managed to outperform an ace fighter like Burns.

Terming Khamzat Chimaev as the "favorite" while giving his pick for the main event of UFC 279, Vicente Luque said:

"I'm always gonna expect [Nate] Diaz to put on a tough fight, you know. He's very durable, he has great conditioning, he still has his tricky, you know, tools. But I would never put him as favorite for this fight. I mean not, not realistically. Right now with how the division is moving, with what Chimaev has showed."

Praising 'Borz' for his performance against Burns, Luque added:

"I mean... watching the fight against Gilbert, you know... I know who Gilbert is, I know how tough he is and Chimaev went in there and survived and you know, at the end of the day he got a win... that shows a lot... I gotta put Chimaev as a favorite."

Check out Vicente Luque's full interview with Mike Owens of LowKickMMA below:

---

Josh Thomson believes Khamzat Chimaev will dominate Nate Diaz in their upcoming welterweight clash

During a recent episode of WEIGHING IN XTRA, Josh Thomson opined that Chimaev is the "worst matchup" for Nate Diaz. Thomson also predicted that 'Borz' will win the fight via TKO:

"The fact that I was the only guy to ever finish [Nate Diaz], that's short-lived. That is going to be done, that's going to be over... The UFC knows what they're doing, this happens all the time. When you're on your way out, they give you the toughest, hardest fight they know stylistically it does not match with you."

Thomson added:

"Chimaev is the worst matchup he could potentially get. The reach... The wrestling, the strength. Nate Diaz is not strong... [Chimaev will] be able to take Nate Diaz down at will... He'll just dominate the top position. [He will win by] TKO."

Check out Josh Thomson giving his take on the Diaz vs. Chimaev fight below: