Nate Diaz watches his brother Nick Diaz who was working on his boxing skills at his gym, Gracie Sports Academy, in Lodi Thursday evening on Jan. 26, 2012.

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Nate Diaz Goes Off On ‘Scared Child’ Khamzat Chimaev After His UFC 319 Win

Nate Diaz watches his brother Nick Diaz who was working on his boxing skills at his gym, Gracie Sports Academy, in Lodi Thursday evening on Jan. 26, 2012.

Nate Diaz has never been one to keep his opinions to himself. The Stockton native built his career on brutal honesty and zero filter, whether he’s talking about opponents, the UFC, or anyone else who crosses his path. His trash talk isn’t calculated or manufactured for social media clicks. Diaz retired from the UFC in 2022 after beating Tony Ferguson, but he’s stayed active in boxing and other combat sports while keeping a close eye on what’s happening in MMA.

Khamzat Chimaev represents everything Diaz probably dislikes about modern MMA. The Chechen fighter arrived in the UFC with massive hype, destroyed his first few opponents, and immediately started getting pushed toward title shots. Chimaev talks a big game on social media and has legitimate skills, but Diaz clearly sees something different when he watches ‘Borz’ fight. Their history goes back to 2022 when they were supposed to fight at UFC 279.

Nate Diaz Questions Khamzat Chimaev’s Fighting Heart After UFC 319 Performance

Diaz watched Chimaev’s recent victory over Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 319 and wasn’t impressed with what he saw. While most observers praised Chimaev for dominating a former middleweight champion, Diaz focused on a specific moment that revealed what he considers Chimaev’s true character. During the fight, Chimaev gained side control over Du Plessis and began throwing short punches taht are mostly ineffective. According to Diaz’s analysis, Chimaev had the perfect opportunity to unleash devastating ground and pound with hard punches and elbows that could have seriously hurt Du Plessis or forced him to give up a better position. Instead, Chimaev chose the safer route of throwing weak shots that maintained control without risking a scramble.

“He comes off as this big intimidating guy, but he is a scared fu***ng child,” said Diaz while talking to Sneako.

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To Diaz, a real fighter takes those risks and goes for the finish rather than playing it safe. That’s why he called Chimaev a “scared child.” Diaz built his reputation on walking forward and throwing bombs regardless of the consequences. So watching Chimaev choose control over damage clearly struck a nerve.

Why Does Nate Diaz Have Rivalry With Khamzat Chimaev?

The rivalry between Diaz and Chimaev started building long before their scheduled UFC 279 fight fell apart. Chimaev had been calling out established names as he climbed the rankings. Diaz represented the perfect combination of name value and perceived vulnerability. The UFC booked the fight as Diaz’s farewell bout, giving him a dangerous opponent who could potentially send him out on a loss. Everything seemed set for an entertaining main event until fight week descended into chaos.

The pre-fight press conference got canceled after Diaz and Chimaev’s teams brawled backstage. This created the kind of genuine bad blood that money can’t manufacture. Then came the devastating blow when Chimaev missed weight by 7.5 pounds. This effectively canceled their fight and scrambled the entire card.

Chimaev ended up fighting and destroying Kevin Holland in just over two minutes. Meanwhile, Diaz submitted Ferguson in what became his UFC swan song. The fact that they never actually fought seems to bother both men. Their beef continues simmering years later because neither got the closure that only comes from settling things inside the cage.

(Image Credit: CLIFFORD OTO/THE STOCKTON RECORD – Imagn Images)

Dricus Du Plessis

Khamzat Chimaev

Nate Diaz

Zaid Quraishi

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I am a dedicated MMA and Boxing content writer at The Playoffs. I was instantly hooked on MMA after watching the fight between Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi back in 2014, and since then, i have been an avid writer with a deep love for the sport and its techniques, providing readers with a thorough understanding of the sport. My favorite aspect of working at The Playoffs is the creative freedom it provides. The diverse range of topics, from listicles and SEO to news articles, keeps me engaged and motivates me to continuously improve my skills! I aim to capture the excitement of the combat sports world in my writing, acting as the middleman between fighters and their die-hard fans. It is kind of like a referee, but with words!