Dan Hardy and Leon Edwards have criticized the UFC for booking a fight between Nate Diaz and Khamzat Chimaev. The fight is supposed to be Diaz’s last under his UFC contract. The fighters will headline the UFC 279 PPV at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on September 10.
Edwards fought Diaz in the past. He said he was sorry for Diaz to have his UFC career end with such a matchup.
“He’s done so much for the company and I wish they gave him a veteran, a nice fight to bow out to,” Edwards said.
“To give an up-and-coming guy that’s had four or five fights in the UFC, and a wrestler guy as well – I think they f—ked up. They should’ve gave him a better fight.”
Edwards insisted Diaz had no chance against his younger opponent, saying, “If I’m a betting man, I’d probably go with Khamzat.”
Hardy, whose contract was terminated by the UFC last year, also said he was worried for Diaz. Chimaev has a strong track record despite his short UFC career.
“I just hope Nate comes through it all right, because I think he’s got good opportunities outside the UFC,” Hardy said. “It’s just a shame that they’re going to do this assassination attempt on him before he leaves.
I just feel very unfortunate that it’s happening, and that we can’t celebrate these fighters when they’re coming to the end of their career,” Hardy continued. But it’s the UFC’s style, isn’t it? If they decide they’re parting ways with you, they try to damage you in every way possible.”
Diaz vs. Chimaev
Diaz is the fan favorite for the fight. Despite never winning any title in his long MMA career, Diaz defeated some UFC champions in the past. The list includes Conor McGregor and Rafael dos Anjos.
This fight would be the first for Diaz in a year. He had verbally expressed his wish to have one last battle for months before the UFC granted his request. He lost his previous two fights to Jorge Masvidal and Leon Edwards.
He has been involved in a spat with UFC president Dana White regarding his contract and payment. He will venture into boxing with his debut fight against Jake Paul.
It was rumored that Diaz would face McGregor for his last fight to complete their fight trilogy. However, McGregor has not fought for a year due to injury.
Chimaev, also known as The Borz, is a newbie in the UFC. However, he quickly garnered popularity after his first fights. When he was a new entry, he defeated Gilbert Burns in UFC 273 and quickly rose in the ranks.
A few months ago, UFC offered Diaz to fight Chimaev for his last fight, but he reportedly rejected the request before finally changing his mind. Chimaev’s rising popularity was likely Diaz’s reason for accepting the match.
Chimaev was named a national wrestling champion three times in Sweden. He currently has five UFC fights under his belt, in which he won all of them, one by unanimous decision, two by knockout, and two by submission.