Undefeated welterweight Khamzat Chimaev wants to take Nate Diaz's head off
- Heinrich Griessel
- 8 September 2022
UFC 279 headliner Khamzat Chimaev is determined to dominate MMA veteran Nate Diaz at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday.
The undefeated welterweight (11-0), also known as 'Borz', comes into his fight against Diaz on the back of five impressive UFC victories.
On his UFC debut the Swede submitted John Phillips with a Brabo choke, before a TKO win over Rhys McKee at UFC on ESPN 14. He then followed it up with a 17-second knockout of Gerald Meerschaert at UFC Fight Night 178.
The 28-year-old clinched a third consecutive first-round win on October 30, 2021 when he stopped Jingliang Li with a rear-naked choke.
In his most recent fight, in April this year, Chimaev was truly tested by Gilbert Burns who pushed him to three rounds for the first time in his MMA career. Chimaev passed the test with a unanimous decision to set up the Diaz clash.
Diaz (37) has been fighting in the Octagon since 2007 when he came through the fifth instalment of Dana White's Ultimate Fighter show to earn a contract with the UFC.
Despite facing one of the organisation's legends, Chimaev made it clear his gamplan stays the same - try to knock the opponent's head off.
"I'm fighting Nate Diaz. I'm happy for that. He's one of the guys who have been like 15 years in this game. He's one of the legends. Maybe this is his last fight. Who knows? I'm happy," Chimaev said during UFC 279's Media Day.
"I'm going to smash somebody, take my money, and go home. I've got to go and take his head off like I always try to do. I come here to smash somebody and take his head."
