St-Pierre analyzed both competitors in depth before their highly anticipated welterweight encounter at UFC 279, predicting a victory for Chimaev but cautioning that “anything can happen” in mixed martial arts, especially against Diaz.
“This fight is at welterweight, the odds will be toward Chimaev. I think it favors him because of that,” St-Pierre said.
“However, Nate Diaz, you can’t ever count him out. He’s very well-rounded, he’s very durable, and it will take a lot to try and put him away. But Khamzat, it’s going to be a tough challenge because he only went the distance in his last fight, I believe, and I think he grew incredibly from that fight, he learned a lot. So I think we’re going to see a better version of Khamzat, still better than what he was. So it’s going to be an interesting fight.”
“Khamzat is very good. He’s got all the skills and he showcased incredible durability and great mental strength in his last fight when he fought Gilbert Burns, because he was pushed to the limit. That’s when you recognize a true warrior, a true champion. When he faced those moments of adversity — some collapse, but some push through and succeed — he proved it in his last fight. He’s very, very good.”
“Nate Diaz did a great performance when he fought Leon Edwards,” GSP added.
“He was losing the fight but he finished very strong, he rocked Leon Edwards and he had a very strong finish. And it proves to us once again that it’s never over until it’s over and anything can happen. And then we saw what happened the other last weekend … so anything can happen in this game. But if I would have to bet on that fight, of course, I have to go with the odds and favor Khamzat Chimaev.”
Donate : https://www.stjude.org/donate/donate-to-st-jude.html
=
=
=
=
=
