I think he has to bring him into deep waters - Coach Cesar Gracie details Nate Diaz's route to victory in clash against Khamzat Chimaev

Cesar Gracie believes Nate Diaz can defeat Khamzat Chimaev in their upcoming fight. He broke down the matchup and expounded upon why his longtime student Diaz could emerge victorious.

Speaking to Submission Radio, Gracie highlighted that Khamzat Chimaev is young, very strong, possesses a lot of energy, and has very good wrestling to take the fight to the mat. Harking back to Chimaev’s last fight, which was a a closely-contested unanimous decision win over Gilbert Burns, Gracie acknowledged that 'Borz' successfully took down 'Durinho'.

However, Gracie added that Chimaev eventually realized it was dangerous to fight the multi-time BJJ world champion on the mat. Chimaev therefore primarily engaged in a stand-up fight with Burns. The matchup witnessed both fighters sustain significant damage in the striking exchanges.

On that note, Gracie emphasized that Diaz has considerably better boxing skills than Burns. He opined that the 28-year-old Chimaev fights with an abundance of passion, pursues the finish, and has already promised that his fight with the 37-year-old Diaz will be the latter’s funeral. Outlining Diaz’s path to victory, Gracie stated:

“So, he [Chimaev] is putting the pressure on himself to finish this fight pretty quick. And if he comes out hard like that, I think that’ll work into Nate’s favor, to be honest with you. I think Nate has to bring him into deep water.”

He also mentioned where Diaz might have the upperhand by saying:

“Obviously, gotta be in shape to do that. Nate’s always in shape. Standing up, I give the edge to Nate. On the ground, I think Nate’s a better grappler. But you’re fighting a younger guy that’s strong. It’s definitely a tough fight, but there’s ways to win this fight.”

Watch Gracie discuss the topic at 17:28 in the video below:

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Khamzat Chimaev claims he was set to fight for the UFC welterweight title even if he didn’t face Nate Diaz

Nate Diaz will face Khamzat Chimaev in a five-round welterweight bout that’ll headline UFC 279 on September 10. In a recent appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Chimaev addressed the Diaz matchup and a potential welterweight title shot.

Khamzat Chimaev suggested that he was already set to fight the winner of this month’s UFC welterweight title matchup between Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards. Claiming that he would’ve fought for the title even without facing Nate Diaz, 'Borz' said:

“I don't need to fight with Nate Diaz. If I wanted to wait, this is going to take a long time. Usman fights one time in one year now. He has everything. He has money. He is pound-for-pound number one. That's why he wants to wait.”

Watch Chimaev’s assessment at 3:18 in the video below: