UFC Hall of Famer and former welterweight titleholder Georges St-Pierre expects a tough night at the office for Nate Diaz at UFC 279 but warns not to count out The Ultimate Fighter 5 winner entirely against Khamzat Chimaev.
St-Pierre gave a comprehensive breakdown of both fighters ahead of their highly anticipated welterweight clash at UFC 279, with ‘Rush’ favoring Chimaev to pick up the win but warning that ‘anything can happen’ in MMA — especially against Diaz.
“This fight is at welterweight, the odds will be toward Chimaev. I think it favors him because of that,” St-Pierre said at a UFC Paris fan Q&A this past weekend (h/t MMA Fighting).
“However, Nate Diaz, you can’t ever count him out. He’s very well-rounded, he’s very durable, and it will take a lot to try and put him away. But Khamzat, it’s going to be a tough challenge because he only went the distance in his last fight, I believe, and I think he grew incredibly from that fight, he learned a lot. So I think we’re going to see a better version of Khamzat, still better than what he was. So it’s going to be an interesting fight.”
“Khamzat is very good. He’s got all the skills and he showcased incredible durability and great mental strength in his last fight when he fought Gilbert Burns, because he was pushed to the limit. That’s when you recognize a true warrior, a true champion [compared] to a contender. When he faced those moments of adversity — some collapse, but some push through and succeed — he proved it in his last fight. He’s very, very good.”
“Nate Diaz did a great performance when he fought Leon Edwards,” he added. “He was losing the fight but he finished very strong, he rocked Leon Edwards and he had a very strong finish. And it proves to us once again that it’s never over until it’s over and anything can happen. And then we saw what happened the other last weekend [with Edwards and Kamaru Usman at UFC 278] … so anything can happen in this game. But if I would have to bet on that fight, of course, I have to go with the odds and favor Khamzat Chimaev.”
Diaz will enter the fight as a massive 7-to-1 underdog, with the UFC fan favorite expected to explore free agency following the bout.
UFC 279: Chimaev vs. Diaz will take place on Sept. 10 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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BLOCKBUSTER WELTERWEIGHT SHOWDOWN! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sat., Sept. 10, 2022, with a must-watch Welterweight thriller that will see undefeated No. 3-ranked contender, Khamzat Chimaev, battle perennial fan favorite, Nate Diaz. In UFC 279’s pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event, former top-ranked Lightweight contender, Tony Ferguson, will return to the 170-pound weight class for his next assignment opposite Welterweight “Leech,” Li Jingliang.
