Why Did Khamzat Chimaev vs Nate Diaz Fight Fall Apart? Everything You Need to Know About the Cancellation of UFC 279 Main Event

Before Nate Diaz jumped over into the world of exhibition boxing, he was to go toe to toe with the indomitable Khamzat Chimaev. The two had been at loggerheads for quite some time last year. Diaz, who was unranked at the time and hadn’t won a fight in 3 years. Yet, he still had a lot of credibility to his name, and the young Swede wanted to make his mark by taking out one of the all-time greats. It was an ugly fight waiting to unfold.

Diaz, who many believed to be finished, or at the end of his career, still had a point to prove. That was and always has been the story of the Diaz brothers. The Stockton slugger had claimed that he could go the distance with Chimaev, who had been running through people in his division. But somehow, that fight never took place.

Why did Nate Diaz refuse the fight just hours before UFC 279?

If you asked Nate Diaz, he would tell you he’s never backed out of a fight and it wasn’t going to change at UFC 279. But somehow, something had certainly changed. Diaz, despite having a reputation to protect, chose not to get into the octagon with Khamzat Chimaev. And the reason was rather simple. Chimaev had failed to keep up his end of the contract.

See, when both fighters reached the weigh-ins, the world found out that Chimaev wasn’t exactly the weight he was supposed to be contractually. And it wasn’t touch-and-go like Daniel Cormier either. He couldn’t just slightly lean on a towel and voila, hit the right weight class. The Swede was 7.5 pounds overweight.

Naturally, what was to be the main event, had to be changed. Diaz instead faced Tony Ferguson, who he beat soundly and then became a free agent. This is what he had wanted for the longest time. For almost a year, Diaz had been asking Dana White to release him. He had one fight left on his contract and eventually, this fight with Chimaev was used to keep him tethered to the UFC. That’s how much this meant to him. But could he not have still fought Chimaev?

Khamzat Chimaev offered Nate Diaz his entire purse for the night

Now, what happens if a fighter doesn’t live up to his contract in the UFC is something only Dana White can answer. When Charles Oliveira missed his weight, he was stripped of his title and couldn’t defend it against Justin Gaethje. The stipulation was- If Gaethje won, he would take home the lightweight title home. But if Oliveira won, he would still have to walk back without the title. So how does this work in the case of Diaz vs. Chimaev?

Read More: After Years of Tussle With the UFC, Nate Diaz Is “Offended” at Being Called an MMA Fighter as He Does Not Want to Be Stereotyped

According to reports, Chimaev allegedly offered his entire purse of almost $2 million to Diaz for the fight. But Diaz was of a different mind. Disappointed by Diaz’s decision, Chimaev called him a ‘fake gangster’. The Swede was of the opinion that gangsters fight for money, so if Diaz wasn’t taking the fight, what kind of gangster he would be?

Regardless, Chimaev ended up fighting Kevin Holland, who he choked to an early submission in the very first round, to sweeten his winning streak to 12. Diaz, on the other hand, a free agent, moved to the sport of boxing and touched gloves with one Jake Paul.

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