Khamzat Chimaev vs. Nate Diaz is going down in September, and many fans and experts alike have said the UFC is serving up the MMA legend on a platter for an ass-whooping of epic proportions ... something Dana White says is nonsense.
White joined Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weeknights on FS1) where the UFC President was asked about those criticizing the fairness of the fight.
"Well, the people that are saying that obviously didn't read when Nate said, 'I asked for this fight'. It's true and he also asked for Francis Ngannou. So, if I was putting him out to get slaughtered, Francis Ngannou would probably be the fight to give him."
Fighters like Daniel Cormier and Josh Thomson have expressed concern over the fairness of the matchup. D.C. said he thinks the fighters are at different points in their career, making this a "mismatch."
JT went a little harder, saying on his podcast with Big John ... "The UFC knows what they're doing, this happens all the time. When you're on your way out, they give you the toughest, hardest fight they know stylistically it does not match with you. Chimaev is the worst matchup he could potentially get."
Here's how the men -- fighting at UFC 279 on September 10 -- stack up against each other.
37-year-old Diaz is arguably the most beloved fighter in the entire UFC. Throughout his legendary career, Nate has beaten fighters like Conor McGregor, Anthony Pettis, and Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone.
However, Nate lost his last two fights ... Jorge Masvidal (November 2019) and Leon Edwards (June 2021).
As for 28-year-old Khamzat, he's undefeated ... 11-0 professionally, and 5-0 in the UFC. Chimaev has risen to stardom arguably faster than anyone else in the history of the promotion.
The knock on Khamzat was the level of competition ... but that subsided when he beat Gilbert Burns by unanimous decision in April 2022. It was the first time Borz was tested.
In December, we asked Diaz about the prospects of fighting Chimaev (they've gone back and forth for months), and he wasn't feeling it at the time.
"Try to offer me a fight with a rookie? I'm cool. Got 4 fights in the UFC. Don't talk my name," Diaz told us.
Clearly, Nate had a change of heart.
The fight vs. Khamzat is reportedly the last on Nate's contract, so we asked Dana if he planned to resign the superstar from Stockton.
"I don't know. We'll see what happens. We'll see how this whole thing plays out. I told him, me and hi0m met here, you know Nate's been with us for a long time and I like Nate. I said, 'Nate, do whatever you wanna do kid. Go do whatever you wanna do.'"
The bottom line ... Nate Diaz and Khamzat Chimaev are fighting in less than 45 days, and fans are pumped!
"We're finally here! I knew that was gonna be a fight that would resonate, that people would love, that people would get excited for. Can you imagine the energy in that place when those two walk that night? It's gonna be insanity!"