Nick Diaz has publicly demanded the UFC grant him the final fight on his contract. His demands have bore fruit as he has a date for his next fight. Hunter Campbell, UFC's chief business officer, revealed that Diaz and Khamzat Chimaev had agreed verbally to fight in UFC 279 welterweight's main event. The battle will occur on September 10th in Las Vegas at the T-Mobile Arena.
Diaz is one of the most celebrated UFC fighters. In this sense, his fight with Chimaev will receive massive attention from UFC fans globally. Additionally, sports betting fans on BetMGM Tennessee will also test their betting prowess by wagering on this event. What makes it even more interesting is the fact that Diaz is reported to have only one fight remaining in his contract, which expires in October.
In a recent interview, Diaz indicated the promotion of holding him hostage. He reiterated that UFC had offered him fights but always attached a contract extension. However, this did not augur well with his prospects because he wanted to fight out his deal and move on to the post-UFC phase of his illustrious career.
He is a fighter with solid repute partly because he is longtime UFC veteran Nick Diaz's brother. Furthermore, he is the winner of season 5 of "The Ultimate Fighter." On the other hand, his stock rose significantly in 2016 when he stepped up on short notice to hand McGregor's first loss in the UFC.
Later that year, Diaz lost to McGregor in the rematch by a narrow decision. Many UFC fans and pundits believe that the UFC has an ultimate goal of a rubber match between the two fighters. But that never came to pass, and Diaz has gone just 1-2 since then. Diaz has, however, continually called for a fight with Chimaev throughout 2022.
Chimaev is arguably UFC's fastest-rising star. His debut was a dominant submission over John Philips in July 2020. Ten days later, he registered an impressive win over Rhys McKee. He took only one combined critical strike in his first four UFC fights. During the fights, he competed in the welterweight and middleweight divisions.
In April this year, Chimaev made a significant step in his career when he battled former title contender Gilbert Burns at UFC 273. The battle went back and forth until Chamaev eventually won it with a unanimous decision. However, fans were treated to several scary moments in the bout. Chaimaev is upbeat about his contest with Diaz. He claimed that he would handle his opponent's funeral with the UFC!