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Nate Diaz is gearing up for what appears to be his final dance in the UFC octagon. The brawler from Stockton, California, has been trying to fight out the last bout of his contract for months and can finally see the light of free agency at the end of the tunnel that is UFC 279. However, he will have to walk through fire in the form of Khamzat Chimaev.
The younger brother of Nick Diaz and the winner of season five of The Ultimate Fighter has been an icon of fighting for nearly two decades. Ahead of what could be his final walk as a UFC athlete, BT Sport created a beautiful video to honor one of MMA's biggest stars. Written by Chuck Mindenhall and narrated by Ariel Helwani, the clip is poetic in nature and emotional in its impact. Sharing it on Twitter, Helwani wrote:
"Know this: When I read these words - written by the incomparable @ChuckMindenhall - about @NateDiaz209, I got chills. I got emotional. Nathan has meant a lot to my career, but more importantly, to fighting. It was a real honor to do this for @btsportufc"
Watch the video below:
In what should be no surprise at all, the video struck a chord with fans. They flooded the comments section to show their appreciation for the wonderful words and edit put together for one of UFC's most iconic figures.
Reporter Nolan King said he got goosebumps.
UFC bantamweight Brian Kelleher admitted the video gave him chills.
Fans praised Chuck Mindenhall for his beautifully written words and Ariel Helwani for his heartfelt narration. Most of all, they expressed their love for Nate Diaz.
See more comments below:
Nate Diaz says, "you're welcome, UFC"
Even those following the fight game from the nosebleeds know that Nathan Diaz has wanted freedom from the UFC for a long time. After nearly knocking out current welterweight champion Leon Edwards, Diaz sat on the sidelines for a long time, waiting for a fight.
While he waited, the Stockton native issued multiple callouts and asked for fights against several top-ranked contenders across two weight classes - from Vicente Luque to Dustin Poirier and fellow veteran Tony Ferguson. It seemed that all Diaz wanted to do was fulfill his contractual obligation of one more fight and part ways with the UFC.
Finally, the 37-year-old veteran was matched against the young, fiery up-and-comer Khamzat Chimaev, who was last seen in action against Gilbert Burns. The Chechen native is undefeated in his professional career, and until running into 'Durinho', he had absorbed one significant strike across four UFC fights. Despite the UFC saying Nate Diaz asked for this fight, Diaz said in a recent interview with ESPN MMA that he didn't want to be a tool for the promotion to build a star off of.
However, in true Nate Diaz fashion, the Stockton native proceeded to say that if that's how it's going to be, he will help Dana White's promotion "make" Khamzat Chimaev.
Watch the full interview below:
