Dana White downplays Khamzat Chimaev being favorite over Nate Diaz; “Nobody is that big of a favorite”

UFC president Dana White doesn’t believe Khamzat Chimaev should be a big favorite over Nate Diaz.

The two welterweight stars are set to headline UFC 279 in September. The bout comes after months of rumors that they would faceoff. Furthermore, it comes after the Stockton-native requested to finish out his UFC contract for months.

Following the fight’s announcement, it received a mixed reception from fans and media. Analyst Dan Hardy labeled the fight an “execution”, while even UFC commentator Daniel Cormier labeled the bout a mismatch.

It seems that the oddsmakers agreed with the experts. Presently, ‘Borz’ is a tremendous favorite over Diaz. However, Dana White isn’t a believer in the odds. Furthermore, the promoter doesn’t believe that anyone should be as big of a favorite as Chimaev.

The 53-year-old discussed the Khamzat Chimaev vs. Nate Diaz booking in an interview with Aaron Bronsteter. There, White hit back at the oddsmakers and stated that the Stockton-native shouldn’t be that big of an underdog. He referenced Amanda Nunes and Ronda Rousey’s upset defeats as proof of that.

“So was Amanda Nunes, so was Ronda Rousey, I can go on for days with this. This is a sport where nobody is that big of a favorite. Anybody can win at any given time. One thing that you saw in the Gilbert Burns fight, let’s not forget this about Khamzat Chimaev, as badass as he is, as explosive, all the things that he’s done, he doesn’t have all the experience all of these other people have.”

Dana White continued, “Nate Diaz is durable, he’s been in there with everybody, it’s his last fight going out, nobody is that big of an underdog. Not in the UFC… Nate Diaz has that gangster mentality, Khamzat Chimaev has that gangster mentality. People love that s*it.”

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