“It’s the fight we asked for!” Chael Sonnen echoes fans’ excitement toward Nate Diaz and Tony Ferguson fight at UFC 279
Chael Sonnen; Nate Diaz (L) and Tony Ferguson (R) face off
The story had seemingly been written. The outgoing star, Nate Diaz taking on the upcoming mauler, Khamzat Chimaev, billed to be champion in the very near future.
But, it was not to be. Khamzat Chimaev missed weight by seven and a half pounds on Friday night, prompting the UFC to think hard as to how to save the main event.
With Chimaev vs Diaz in jeopardy, the UFC’s top brass, especially Dana White and Hunter Campbell arranged for a complete rejig of the main card, so as to keep the show on the road.
The new main card looks something like this – for the main event, a 5 round fight has been booked between Nate Diaz and Tony Ferguson, who has been promoted from co-main. In place of him, the co-main event will now be shared by Khamzat Chimaev and Kevin Holland (albeit, at catchweight). Additionally, Li Jingliang will face Daniel Rodriguez.
Nate Diaz to take on Tony Ferguson after Khamzat Chimaev misses weight
Many fans of the sport and experts alike had expressed their disappointment with the booking of the fight between Khamzat Chimaev and Nate Diaz. They believed that the Stockton fighter, one of the biggest UFC icons ever, should have been given a much better send-off.
However, as Brett Okamoto said, at the end of the day, the UFC is a business. It must promote its upcoming fighters to the best of its ability. And so they did. They put Chimaev up to fight an aging Diaz, who he must certainly would have defeated.
In a shocking turn of events, Khamzat Chimaev missed weight, by a whopping seven pounds, coming in at 178.5 pounds. An oversized Chimaev could have not just beat, but also dismantled Diaz.
After the announcement of Diaz vs Ferguson, many fans, fighters and alike have shared their jubilance and intrigue at the match-up. One of them is the ex-UFC middleweight contender, Chael Sonnen, who now runs one of the most successful MMA opinion channels on YouTube. In a video posted there, he said, “Who would have thought California could even be big enough (for the two of them to never meet? And somehow these two fighters have stayed clear.”
Echoing what the fans have expressed on social media, he said, “It’s the fight we wanted, it’s the fight we asked for!” Additionally, Sonnen showcased an interesting way of looking at proceedings, saying, “Neither of the two have won their last two fights… tell me somebody who fits that bill who’s on PPV.” This, clearly, was a nod to the two power of pulling eyeballs in.
Lastly, Sonnen said, showering major respect and praise on Nate Diaz’s career and legacy, “There is winner between Khamzat Chimaev and Nate Diaz.” Chael seemingly is referring to the latter’s professionalism, even on the last fight of his contract, where he was supposed to fight someone he had no interest in fighting.
Udayan Mukherjee
(382 Articles Published)