Diaz to headline UFC 279 vs. Chimaev in last fight on contract

Welterweights Khamzat Chimaev and Nate Diaz have verbally agreed to square off in the UFC 279 main event on Sept. 10 in Las Vegas, UFC executive Hunter Campbell told ESPN's Brett Okamoto.

It will be the final bout on Diaz's current contract.

In an interview on "The MMA Hour" last week, Diaz said he wanted to fight out his contract and leave the UFC as soon as possible. He sounded off on the promotion for refusing to schedule him a fight, saying it was "holding me hostage."

"I am going to handle Nate Diaz's funeral with the UFC," Chimaev told Okamoto through a representative.

Diaz hasn't stepped into the Octagon since June 2021, when Leon Edwards dominated him by unanimous decision. His last victory came in August 2019, and he's riding a two-fight skid. The Stockton native is one of the most popular fighters in mixed martial arts, largely thanks to his two-fight series with Conor McGregor in 2016.

Chimaev has moved up the 170-pound ranks at a rapid pace since debuting in the UFC in 2020. He now sits at No. 3 after defeating Gilbert Burns in a "Fight of the Year" candidate in April. "Borz" holds a 5-0 UFC record and is undefeated as a pro at 11-0.

As a result of the Chimaev-Diaz booking, the UFC is no longer pursuing a bantamweight title fight between Aljamain Sterling and TJ Dillashaw for UFC 279, sources told MMA Junkie's Nolan King. It was reported in June that Sterling-Dillashaw was being finalized for the event. A meeting at UFC 280 is on the table, King adds.