By:  | February 14, 2023 12:39 pm

When Khamzat Chimaev missed weight by 8.5lbs ahead of UFC 279 he gave Nate Diaz a decision to make. The American decided not to take the fight and he can have absolutely no regrets.

Diaz is currently the most sought after free agent in the sport after submitting Tony Ferguson, who replaced Chimaev in the UFC 279 main event. The Swedish star did register a win over Holland but he recently outlined the steps his team took to try and keep the original matchup intact.

According to Chimaev they offered Diaz an incredible $2 million USD to go ahead with the fight:

Disputed claim

Diaz’ representative claims that the offer never actually materialized. But it begs the question, for what price would you be willing to fight arguably the most dangerous man on the UFC roster?

There has been footage emerging on social media of Chimaev putting a beatdown on some experienced sparring partners at Tiger Muay Thai in Phuket. It is not clear who the Swedish star will be fighting next or in which division but there is no question that he is a dangerous opponent for anyone.

So if you were Nate Diaz would you have accepted the $2 million USD? Or would you have decided that a fight with Tony Ferguson was a much smarter career move?

Sought after

We don’t know how much Diaz earned for the fight with Ferguson. We also don’t know whether or not Chimaev is telling the truth about the $2mn USD offer, his opponent’s camp certainly say that he isn’t.

But what we do know is that Diaz is now the most sought after free agent in the sport after ending his UFC contract on a high. However much he earned for submitting Ferguson, it won’t be nearly as much as he gets for his next fight.

He could go and fight Jake Paul on a PFL card. The promotion has made it very clear that the offer is on the table with the possibility of competing under both boxing and MMA rules.

Or he could return to the UFC for a trilogy fight with Conor McGregor. That looks less likely now that the Irishman is reportedly set to take on Michael Chandler in his comeback fight.

So Diaz would be entitled to feel he made a smart career move by turning down the fight with Chimaev, regardless of how much money was really on the table.