5 things Nate Diaz needs to do against Khamzat Chimaev

#4. Threaten armbars from the bottom

Saturday's bout will almost certainly find its way to the mat. Khamzat Chimaev is a dominant wrestler, while Nate Diaz has famously struggled to stop dominant wrestlers from dragging him to the ground.

However, at UFC 273, fight fans noticed a curious change in Chimaev's approach to his matchup with Gilbert Burns. Initially, 'Borz' was content to pursue takedowns and wrestle his Brazilian foe to impose his will.

However, as Chimaev himself later confirmed in the post-fight press conference, an armbar attempt by Burns from the bottom in the 1st round was a strong enough deterrence. Thus, for the remainder of the bout, Chimaev sought no more takedowns due to his dislike for the way in which 'Durinho' briefly hyperextended his arm. Given Chimaev's own words, taking Nate Diaz to the mat might prove riskier than he expects.

Nate Diaz's last submission win was his rear-naked choke against Conor McGregor in their initial matchup 6 years ago. Regardless, he frequently uses his open guard to threaten his opponents with armbars whenever they posture up, creating space to drive their hips into their ground-and-pound strikes.

As Khamzat Chimaev is an aggressive finisher who pounces on any opening, any stray arm during a ground-and-pound sequence runs the risk of exposing him to armbar attempts. One or two strong armbar attempts should be enough to dissuade the Chechen contender from consistently pursuing takedowns against Diaz, as was the case in his matchup with Gilbert Burns.

---

#3. He must extend the bout

Khamzat Chimaev is yet to fight for more than 3 rounds inside the octagon. Prior to his matchup with Gilbert Burns, the surging welterweight had defeated all his foes in either the 1st or 2nd round. Against 'Durinho', Chimaev's high-energy style unveiled its own drawbacks when he began to fade at some point in the 2nd round. By the 3rd round, his cardio was failing him as he gasped for air in search of a second wind.

With an unproven gas tank that seems to wilt after 3 rounds, Chimaev might be more vulnerable than fans expect if he is unable to finish Diaz in the 1st round or at the very least the early stages of the 2nd round. While there's a prevailing misconception about Nate Diaz's cardio among the MMA fanbase, the Stockton legend is not a veteran of 5-round fights nor is he a fighter known for defeating his foes in the championship rounds.

In 33 MMA fights, Diaz has fought in 5-round bouts a total of 3 times, losing to Benson Henderson, Conor McGregor and Leon Edwards. However, Nate Diaz remains a highly efficient fighter who has worn his opponents out by exhausting them. A triathlete who almost never tires, Diaz will be better served if he forces Chimaev to expend his energy in their upcoming matchup.

Specifically, Diaz can force his undefeated foe to miss. Chimaev throws every punch with fight-ending intentions, but missing power-strikes is exhausting, especially when one does not use their reach and height advantages. With a possible cardio issue, 'Borz' will tire much quicker if Diaz causes him to fall short on his hooks by pulling away and rolling as he often does.