It was some Armenian guy, Khamzat Chimaev remembers the first time he saw Nate Diaz on televis
Khamzat Chimaev is not only fighting an opponent he wants to finish as brutally as possible but he is also looking into the eyes of someone who was possibly his idol in his childhood. At UFC 279 this weekend, Chimaev is facing UFC megastar, Nate Diaz. This will be Chimaev’s first-ever main-event fight as well as his first-ever 5-round fight in the UFC. However, this fight is also most likely going to be Diaz’s last UFC fight as well.
This will be just the sixth UFC fight in Chimaev’s career and the twelfth in his overall career. So fair to say, Chimaev has been one of the fastest-rising fighters in resume and fame. Chimaev first burst into the scenes in 2020 when he fought twice at 2 different weight classes within a span of just 10 days. Later on, in the same year, he secured a 20-second knockout win over Gerald Meerschaert. After fighting Covid, Chimaev returned to the Octagon nearly after 13 months to submit a ranked fighter in Li Jingliang inside the first round. Chimaev was battle-tested in his last fight against Gilbert Burns at UFC 273.
Khamzat Chimaev talks about Nate Diaz in some physical altercation with Karo Parisyan back in 2007
In an interview with MMA Junkie, Chimaev talks about preparation to fight Diaz this weekend, where does the Diaz fight is for him amongst the most notable fights of his career and much more. In the midst of all, Chimaev also talks about admiring Diaz as a fighter when was a kid and when was the first time he saw Diaz on TV. Fair enough to say, it was a very long time ago.
“When he win [The Ultimate Fighter], some Armenian guy was fighting with him on the Ultimate Fighter, before the UFC… I was kid, that’s what I am saying,” says Chimaev. Chimaev is talking about the infamous physical altercation Diaz had on the sets of the fifth season of The Ultimate Fighter, which he won, against Armenian mixed-martial artist Karo Parisyan. Parisyan is known for his wins over the likes of Nate’s older brother Nick Diaz, Matt Serra, Chris Lytle, Phil Baroni and many more.
Also Read: “There’s ALWAYS a chance,” Jake Shields believes Nate Diaz’s UFC career might not end after UFC 279
What do you make of Chimaev’s earliest memory of watching Diaz as a kid? Where do you put Diaz amongst the biggest names in MMA history? Diaz is known for his wins over the likes of Gray Maynard, Anthony Pettis, Michael Johnson, Conor McGregor, Melvin Guillard, Takanori Gomi, Jim Miller, Donald Cerrone and many more. Who do you think wins between Diaz and Chimaev come UFC 279?
ncG1vNJzZmiemafAtb%2FPqKmtsl6YvK571J%2BaZqaVrMBut8eapLOZpGKwqbXMmpyvZaKauqa5wZ6prGWknbJussirqq1lpJ66pnnHnmSsmadiu6LAxGabopmqYryvedOeo56umai2sLqO