Former UFC welterweight champion Georges “Rush” St-Pierre has a prediction for this weekend’s headline fight. Surging welterweight Khamzat Chimaev will face veteran and fan favorite Nate Diaz in Diaz’s final fight on the UFC roster, and GSP discussed his take on the fight at a UFC Paris fan Q&A this weekend. “This fight is at welterweight, the odds will be toward Chimaev. I think it favors him because of that.
However, Nate Diaz, you can’t ever count him out. He’s very well-rounded, he’s very durable, and it will take a lot to try and put him away. But Khamzat, it’s going to be a tough challenge because he only went the distance in his last fight, I believe, and I think he grew incredibly from that fight, he learned a lot. So I think we’re going to see a better version of Khamzat, still better than what he was. So it’s going to be an interesting fight.”
GSP Breaks Down Khamzat vs Diaz
St-Pierre praised Khamzat’s skills, pointing to the Chechen-Swedish fighter’s performance against Gilbert Burns in his last outing as evidence.
“Khamzat is very good. He’s got all the skills and he showcased incredible durability and great mental strength in his last fight when he fought Gilbert Burns, because he was pushed to the limit. That’s when you recognize a true warrior, a true champion [compared] to a contender. When he faced those moments of adversity — some collapse, but some push through and succeed — he proved it in his last fight. He’s very, very good.”
Nate Diaz, however, is still one of the toughest fighters on the UFC roster. Only three of Diaz’s thirteen professional losses came via stoppage, and one of those was a doctor’s stoppage against Jorge Masvidal. Even the current welterweight champ, Leon Edwards, couldn’t get Nate Diaz out of the Octagon.
“Nate Diaz did a great performance when he fought Leon Edwards. He was losing the fight but he finished very strong, he rocked Leon Edwards and he had a very strong finish. And it proves to us once again that it’s never over until it’s over and anything can happen. And then we saw what happened the other last weekend [with Edwards and Kamaru Usman at UFC 278] … so anything can happen in this game.
But if I would have to bet on that fight, of course I have to go with the odds and favor Khamzat Chimaev.” Do you have a prediction for Diaz vs Chimaev? Let us know in the comments.
