"I think he could make it a pretty easy night for himself" - UFC middleweight Gerald Meerschaert lays out Khamzat Chimaev's path to victory against "tough" Nate Diaz

As Khamzat Chimaev and Nate Diaz prepare to face off in the UFC 279 headliner, middleweight Geralt Meerschaert has opened up about how he expects the Swede to overcome the tricky veteran.

'GM3' felt the brunt of being locked inside the cage against the rising Chimaev after succumbing to him via first-round knockout at UFC Fight Night: Covington vs. Woodley. The submission specialist has had a change of fortune since being humbled by the prospect, having managed to pick up three wins in his four fights since.

While in a recent interview, Meerschaert gave insight into how Khamzat Chimaev will fare against Nate Diaz and discussed where the Swede must be wary against the "tough" welterweight.

"If Khamzat decides to stand up with Nate for a little bit, I mean, he's got good power, so he could put his lights out obviously. But Diaz is tough, and if you let him hang around enough, especially if it ends up being a five-round fight, you're kind of playing with fire... If Khamzat could put some hands on him, get a takedown... I think he could make it a pretty easy night for himself. That being said, if they decide to stay on the feet, Diaz is tough. He gives a lot of people a lot harder time than most people expect — he's a legit dude."

After finishing up his UFC contract with this difficult matchup, the Stockton-resident has made his intentions clear: he wants to explore his options outside of the UFC.

Check out what Meerschaert had to say about the upcoming bout in the video below:

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Khamzat Chimaev's career in the UFC

The freestyle wrestler with dynamite in his hands has all the signs of being the UFC's next big star, but he must first get past the experienced Nate Diaz before reaching those levels of stardom.

Just five fights into his UFC career, Khamzat Chimaev looks like the real deal. His first four fights (all stoppage victories) with the promotion only took 12 minutes and 54 seconds

His most recent outing was without a doubt the toughest in his MMA career, and although the fight was razor-close, 'Borz' managed to prove many doubters wrong by getting his hands raised against the No.2-ranked welterweight at the time, Gilbert Burns.