UFC stars and experts predicts Khamzat vs. Diaz: ”Going to be uncomfortable to watch!”

On Saturday, rising UFC star Khamzat Chimaev will face veteran Nate Diaz in the main event at UFC 279.

Click ”Next” to see how UFC stars and MMA experts predict the highly anticipated bout!

Leon Edwards

Pick: Chimaev

The brand new welterweight champion believes in Chimaev.

“If I had to put money on it I’d probably go Khamzat, but I’d love Nate to get it done.” Edwards said.

Michael Chandler

Pick: Chimaev

Lightweight star Michael Chandler thinks Khamzat will stand as the winner on September 10.

”It’s a tough fight. Khamzat is a big human being at the 170 and 185 division, so I think Diaz is going to be outmatched in pretty much every aspect of the game,” Chandler said.

Jorge Masvidal

Pick: Chimaev

Welterweight star Jorge Masvidal fought Diaz a few years back.

”I think that Khamzat probably wins but I can see Nate putting him away in round four or five, because Khamzat doesn’t have that gas tank, doesn’t have that experience,” Masivadal reasons.

Paulo Costa

Pick: Diaz

Middleweight Paulo Costa is more than sure that Nate Diaz will win.

”I think Nate Diaz will beat him. Nate Diaz is a real gangster. Nate Diaz will fuck him up. All the Nate Diaz,” Costa said.

Dan Hardy

Pick: Chimaev

MMA expert Dan Hardy thinks the fight will be brutal.

“I hope, desperately hope, that Nate at least comes through it alright, but after watching what Khamzat did to Rhys McKee and to John Phillips, yes, of course, Nate’s got good jiu-jitsu, but there comes a point where jiu-jitsu is nullified by good wrestling,” Hardy said. ”I think it’s going to be uncomfortable to watch, and I think it’s going to leave the UFC in a very, very bad light.”

Alexander ”The Mauler” Gustafsson

Pick: Chimaev

Swedish MMA legend ”The Mauler” for sure belives in his teammate.

”He is going to do what he is doing all the time, Khamzat. He is just going to get in there and beat him up. He is ready. He is ready for the whatever they put in front of him,” Gustafsson said on UFC London UFC media day in July.

Justin Gaethje

Pick: Chimaev

The former interim lightweight champion has a hard judgement on Nate Diaz.

”He’s not going to out wrestle him, he doesn’t even have the power to shut someone’s lights out on accident. He has zero percent chance. One percent chance,” Gaethje said.

Belal Muhammad

Pick: Diaz

Top ranked UFC welterweight Belal Muhammad hopes Diaz will win the five-round main event.

“The big money fight that they’re trying to make is Khamzat against the winner of Kamaru against Leon,” Muhammad said at the UFC 280 press conference in London. “But for me, I’m team Diaz over here. So, Nate, hit my line and I’ll come out there and help you train. We’ll win this fight.”

Tony Ferguson

Pick: Both

UFC legend Tony Ferguson sees an unusual end of the main event.

”Double knockout. They knock each other the fuck out,” Ferguson said.

Vicente Luque

Pick: Chimaev

Welterweight fan favourite Vicente Luque thinks ”Borz” will win the fight.

“I would put Chimaev as a favourite for this one, but man, Nate can make it complicated. If he survives those two first rounds, he doesn’t get tired, Nate never gets tired. So he can bring the pressure and make it complicated against Chimaev. So I’m excited for that one for sure,” Luque said.

Luke Rockhold

Pick: Chimaev

Retired former UFC champion Luke Rockhold thinks that ”Borz” will be too much for Diaz.

”Chimaev is too solid, too solid of a wrestler, too good of a base, too good of a boxer, too strong. It’s a bit of a far-fetched thing for Nathan, but you never know,” Rockhold said.

Sean O’Malley

Pick: Diaz

Bantamweight Sean O’Malley wants Nate Diaz to win.

”I’m going to say fifth-round finish, Nate. If I go with my head, I’m saying Khamzat. If I go with my heart I’m picking Nate fifth-round finish baby,” O’Malley said.

Sean Strickland

Pick: Chimaev

Middleweight Sean ”Tarzan” Strickland thinks Chimaev will win in dominant fashion.

”He’s probably just going to roll in, not even training, coming out the couch and just destroy him,” Strickland said.

Kevin Holland

Pick: Chimaev

Fan favourite Kevin Holland thinks the Swede will win but won’t completely write off Diaz.

“On paper, 100 percent Chimaev should win this fight. But as fighters we tend to get a little big-headed, we think we have everything in the bag. That could be the one problem,” Holland said.

Mike Perry

Pick: Chimaev

Former UFC welterweight, now bare-knuckle boxer, Mike Perry, thinks ”Borz” will win the UFC 279 main event.

”Everybody’s counting Nate out. There’s a small chance he could do something,” Perry said. ”I think Khamzat gets it done.”

Jack Hermansson

Pick: Chimaev

Top ranked UFC middleweight Jack Hermansson, who wrestled Chimaev at Bulldog Fight Night 9, thinks ”Borz” will get it done.

”I really respect Nate and everything he has done but I feel like he is getting throwed to the wolves now,” Hermansson said.

Cyril Gane

Pick: Chimaev

UFC heavyweight Cyril Gane belivies in Khamzat.

”I think Chimaev is going to finish him,” Gane said.

Curtis Blaydes

Pick: Chimaev

Curtis Blaydes is convinced that ”Borz” will win the fight after seeing him beat Li Jingliang.

”Diaz is just not strong enough, he has the skill, but he is a five-round kind of fighter. This is not going to be five rounds, Chimaev is going to pound on him early and he is super aggressive,” Blaydes predicts.

Sean Brady

Pick: Chimaev

Undefeated UFC welterweight Sean Brady thinks Khamzat will get it done and get a title shot afterwards.

”I love Nate. I hate to see it happen but he’s going to get steamrolled. I can’t see him winning that fight anywhere,” Brady said.

Anthony Smith

Pick: Chimaev

Former UFC light heavyweight title challenger Anthony ”Lionheart” Smith thinks Diaz has a chance of winning the five-round fight, but sees the Swede as the favourite.

”I wouldn’t be shocked to see Nate turning this into a ugly dog fight, kind of like the first and second Conor fight, but chances are Chimaev has a relatively easy time.”

Michael Bisping

Pick: Chimaev

UFC expert and former middleweight champion Michael Bisping belives that Chimaev is better in every aspect of the game.

”How does Nate Diaz win this? I don’t see a way that he can,” Bisping said.

Gerald Meerschaert

Pick: Chimaev

Gerald Meerschaert fought Khamzat back in 2020 and knows what the Swede is capable of.

”I can see him jumping on Diaz early,” Meerschaert said.

Gillian Robertson

Pick: Chimaev

Gillian Robertson, who has the most stoppage wins ever in the UFC women’s flyweight division, thinks Khamzat will get it done at UFC 279.

”I hate this matchup so much. I want to say Nate Diaz with all my heart, but I just can’t.”

Chad Anheliger

Pick: Diaz

UFC bantamweight Chad Anheliger thinks that Nate Diaz’s cardio and durability gives him a good chance to win.

”I’m going to pick Diaz,” Anheliger said. ”Some of the things Diaz does well I think can give Khamzat problems.”

Miranda Maverick

Pick: Chimaev

UFC flyweight Miranda Maverick thinks Chimaev gets it done by unanimous decision at UFC 279.

”I don’t think Diaz is going to win, but I think it will be a good fight,” Maverick said.

Tanner Boser

Pick: Chimaev

Heavyweight Tanner Boser claims that the UFC want to send Nate Diaz off in a bad way.

”Chimaev is a terrible matchup for Nate,” Boser said.

Cory McKenna

Pick: Chimaev

Welsh UFC fighter Cory McKenna predicts that ”Borz” will get his hand raised.

”I will probably go with Chimaev,” McKenna said.

 Brandon Gibson

Pick: Chimaev

Former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones’s coach, Brandon Gibson, thinks that Chimaev’s power and explosiveness will get him the win at UFC 279.

”It’s going to be a hard fight for Diaz. He has to come in very conditioned and he has to weather an early storm to get to a point where he can fatuige Khamzat and start putting on a flurry,” Gibson told James Lynch.

Chris Barnett

Pick: Diaz

UFC heavyweight Chris Barnett predicts that the Stockton fighter will get it done in Las Vegas.

”I’m putting it on Diaz. I think he is going out with a bang, After what he just did to USADA, I’m putting in on Diaz,” Barnett said.

Harry Hunsucker

Pick: Diaz

Former UFC fighter Harry Hunsucker has Diaz as his favourite.

”That one makes me want to cry man, but Nate Diaz for sure,” Hunsucker said.

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