UFC president Dana White confirmed that the promotion is interested in putting on a fight between Khamzat Chimaev and Nate Diaz.
That pairing was brought to the attention of fight fans last week.
A screenshot went viral in the MMA community of a proposed fight card for July 2nd’s UFC 276. It was captured in the promotion’s “war room,” and the UFC president commented on the leak during the UFC 274 post-fight press conference on Saturday night.
He said that some of the fights on the wall were “done,” and others weren’t. “Some of those are just placeholders,” White said about fights shown on the UFC’s “war room” wall. “So we go in there, we’ll have placeholders.
“Some of them are just placeholders,” he continued. “Some of them are done and some of them aren’t.”
Specifically, a fight between Chimaev and Diaz was shown on the UFC 276 main card leak. However, the event was officially announced during Saturday night’s broadcast, and Chimaev and Diaz weren’t a part of the card.
But, that doesn’t mean the two won’t fight at a later date. MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn asked White during the presser if he wants to book the fight.
“Yeah,” White answered directly.
Bohn then asked the UFC president if Diaz had been offered the fight yet.
“I don’t know,” White responded.
The same day the potential UFC 276 matchmaking leaked, Chimaev took to Twitter and shared his willingness to take on the Stockton, California, fighter. “let’s fight skinny
@NateDiaz209,” Chimaev tweeted.
let’s fight skinny @NateDiaz209 🚬
Diaz Hasn’t Fought in Nearly a Year, Has 1 Fight Left on His UFC Contract
Fight fans haven’t seen Diaz compete inside the cage for almost a year. The last time Diaz threw hands was during UFC 263 in June 2021 when he took on top-ranked welterweight Leon Edwards.
It was the promotion’s first-ever non-main event, five-round fight that wasn’t for a championship. And the 170-pound tilt went the distance with Edwards earning the unanimous decision nod.
Diaz has been campaigning for months to fight, calling out the likes of Dustin Poirier, Vicente Luque and Tony Ferguson. Diaz only has one fight left on his UFC contract and he’s made it clear that he intends to fight it out.
In March, Diaz tweeted, asking White and other UFC executives to release him from his contract. “I Would like to request to be released from the @ufc @danawhite @hunter I apologize for asking online but u don’t give me a fight asap I got s*** to do.”
I Would like to request to be released from the @ufc @danawhite @hunter
I apologize for asking online but u don’t give me a fight asap I got shit to do
🏝 🤼♀️ 🥊 👊🏼 🏃♂️
The combatant remains one of the biggest superstars in MMA, and sports a professional record of 20-13, with 16 wins coming via finish. He currently isn’t ranked at welterweight, as per the official UFC rankings.
Chimaev Fought at UFC 273 in an All-Time Classic Against Gilbert Burns
Chimaev went to war during UFC 273 on April 9th against Gilbert Burns to establish himself as part of the welterweight elite. Well, he did just that, but it wasn’t easy. Chimaev and “Durinho” competed in an all-time slugfest that left both fighters bloodied and bruised.
As history has it, Chimaev was awarded the victory via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28). He’s now ranked No. 3 in the division.
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UFC Boss Dana White Addresses Khamzat Chimaev vs. Nate Diaz Fight