“That’s the Fight He Wanted”- Dana White Defends His Decision to Book Nate Diaz Against Khamzat Chimaev Amidst Strong Backlash
Follow Us
Fans have been worried about UFC star Nate Diaz fighting Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 279. After all, Chimaev has remained undefeated while Diaz is coming off two losses. However, as per UFC President Dana White, the older athlete wanted to fight Chimaev.
In a recent press conference, White said, “Ya, I care about Nate a lot. I like Nate and Nate came in here before … long before that fight was ever made. And we were talking about it being his last fight and you know, I said ‘listen, kid, you think about the worst that Nate Diaz has put on and the incredible fights and the big fights that he’s done with us, go do whatever you want to do man’.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
“But getting a fight done with him isn’t as easy as it seems. He was like, ‘why don’t you make a fight?’… Well, he asked for Francis Ngannou, you know. And I can go on forever, but … we got it done. That’s the fight he wanted. We made it and here we are.”
“And it’s a good fight. It’s a fight that people want to see.”
While many fans wanted to see Diaz and Conor McGregor‘s trilogy fight, it won’t be a possibility, as Diaz’s fight against Chimaev will be his last bout with the promotion.
It would be interesting to see what ‘The Stockton Slugger’ does after his last UFC fight.
Dana White talks about the Nate Diaz-Conor McGregor trilogy
In the same press conference, White was asked about how close he was to making the Diaz-McGregor trilogy fight. It turns out, the contest wasn’t really in the discussions; mainly because ‘The Notorious’ is not yet ready to fight after sustaining a broken leg at UFC 264.
However, Diaz did not want to wait for him to get back. White has no regrets about not making a third fight between both the fighters, as he believes the first two fights (UFC 196, UFC 202) were awesome.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Trending
“Lost That Advantage…Won’t Be Special” – Joe Rogan Gives Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Narrated Reality Check for Young MMA Fighters
May 19, 2024 11:49 AM EDT
Dana White & UFC Miss Out on $1.38 Billion Worth Achievement as Conor McGregor Awfully Falls Short of 3-Year-Old Feat
May 18, 2024 01:21 PM EDT
“What R U Doing” – Conor McGregor’s Training Footage With Dee Devlin Causes a Stir Among Fans Ahead of Michael Chandler Fight at UFC 303
May 19, 2024 06:42 AM EDT
“It’s a Wild One” – Joe Rogan Drops the Most “Interesting” JRE Episode Yet; Fans React to Terrance Howard’s Appearance
May 18, 2024 10:54 PM EDT
“Not Even Wrestling Anymore” – Joe Rogan’s Demand Find Ex-UFC Champ’s Support After Dana White Handed MMA Rule Change Request
May 20, 2024 06:58 AM EDT
Get instantly notified of the hottest UFC stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.
Follow Us
READ MORE- Who Does Nate Diaz Train With and Where is His Training Camp?
Post the Chimaev bout, fans might see Diaz in the boxing ring. When he shared a video of Jake Paul knocking out Tyron Woodley, many were excited that Diaz might switch over to boxing.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
What do you think about Diaz fighting ‘Borz’? Let us know in the comments below.
Watch this story: UFC London Highlights
Edited by:
Reubyn Coutinho