On a recent podcast Dana White accidentally leaked matches they were looking to make. Numerous yet-to-be-announced bouts were revealed, many of them before the contracts were signed.
Among them was a proposed fight between Nate Diaz and Chimaev. The bout was targeted for UFC 276 on July 2.
The July pay-per-view event is one of the promotion’s largest of the year, taking place during International fight week.
“[Let’s] fight skinny,” Chimaev taunted Diaz on Twitter.
Diaz, on the other hand, claims that Chimaev is the reason their match hasn’t been finalied yet.
“I’ve been trying to fight for a year and months I also tried to fight Khamzat for the last month and a half but he was hurt.”
“He had visa issues, overweight and now his b**** a** is off getting married instead of fighting wtf? I’m trying to get a fight with a real fighter asap/July.”
Since dropping a decision to Leon Edwards last June, Diaz has been on the last bout of his UFC contract.
Diaz’s assertion that he is responsible for the match delay was laughed off by Chimaev, who just got married in his native land of Chechenya.
“You are funny, are you high? It seems like you’ve been smoking,” Chimaev answered.
Diaz has been rumored to be in talks to face Chimaev since last year. UFC previously attempted to arrange for the fight in December.
“They’re coming at me with [Chimaev], and I’m like, ‘Hold on, don’t disrespect me like that, trying to offer me a fight with a rookie,” he told TMZ at the time.
“Don’t even talk my name. There’s levels to this. Anybody in the higher level even playing along to this Khamzat sh**, you’re a b****, too, taking that s***. You’re a new rookie – deal with new people.”
Diaz and Chimaev are unlikely to be scheduled on the UFC 276 card because it’s just a month away. Chimaev defeated Gilbert Burns in April, it was the greatest victory of his UFC career thus far, propelling him to No. 3 in the welterweight rankings. Chimaev received just a 30 day medical suspension after the bout.