Can Nate Diaz defeat Khamzat Chimaev? The odds are against him
Nate Diaz (20-13) will likely fight his last fight in the UFC octagon when he meets rising star Khamzat Chimaev (11-0) at UFC 279 on September 10.
Set to take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, the event will serve as the final bout on Diaz’s contract and signs are him re-signing with the promotion are dismal.
Diaz’s last win was over Anthony Pettis in 2019, while Chimaev (who even had a brief hiatus from the sport due to a bout with COVID), fought and won seven times in that span.
Issues between UFC brass and Diaz have been public, mostly revolving around contract disputes. Some say that giving Diaz a send-off fight against a stud like Chimaev is just plain disrespectful.
To make matters worse, the odds against Diaz might be even more of a slap in the face of a tenured veteran of the game like Diaz.
“Borz” Chimaev opens as a massive betting favorite -1250 over Nate Diaz for their UFC 279 headlining fight according to Betting Insider Journal. That’s an implied win probability of 92.6% for Chimaev increasing his undefeated MMA record to 12-0.
To put this in terms new bettors can understand, Chimaev is heavily favored to win; so much so that you have to place $1250 to win just
$100. On the flip side, for every $100 you put on Nate Diaz you will make $800.
While Chimaev may have been more active, this will be Diaz’s fourth time headlining a UFC PPV card and the first time for the Russian. Let’s see if experience will play a factor next month in Las Vegas.
UFC 279 fight card:
Khamzat Chimaev vs. Nate Diaz – 170 lbs
Shamil Abdurakhimov vs. Jailton Almeida – 265 lbs
Irene Aldana vs. Macy Chiasson – 135 lbs
Johnny Walker vs. Ion Cutelaba – 205 lbs
Norma Dumont vs. Danyelle Wolf – 145 lbs
Jamie Pickett vs. Denis Tiuliulin – 185 lbs
Chad Anheliger vs. Heili Alateng – 135 lbs
Elise Reed vs. Melissa Martinez – 115 lbs
Jake Collier vs. Chris Barnett – 265 lbs
Hakeem Dawodu vs. Julian Erosa – 145 lbs
