Daniel Cormier believes Nate Diaz has to take the fight to the ground to defeat Khamzat Chimaev: “I believe Nate has to go find his spots to give him a chance”

UFC commentator Daniel Cormier has laid out Nate Diaz’s best path to victory for Saturday.

This weekend, the Stockton native returns for his first outing since his loss to Leon Edwards last June. Standing in Diaz’s way is the undefeated welterweight star Khamzat Chimaev. The two are set to headline UFC 279 in a rare non-title pay-per-view main event.

Ahead of the welterweight clash, many have questioned if the matchup is a mismatch. Diaz has lost three of his last four outings. Meanwhile, ‘The Wolf’ is undefeated and coming off a victory over Gilbert Burns in April.

Due to those factors, the fan favorite is currently a massive underdog. Despite Dana White sticking up for the matchup, many fans and pundits, such as Dan Hardy, believe the fight will be lopsided.

However, Daniel Cormier believes there is a path to victory for the 37-year-old. On the DC and RC podcast, the UFC commentator stated Diaz needs to take the fight to the ground. Cormier opined that on the feet, Chimaev might be too powerful for the star.

On the mat, however, the fight will be much more even. In Cormier’s view, Diaz’s best chance to pull off the upset will be on the ground.

“I will move into the area of [a] coach. If I’m Nathan Diaz’s coach, I’m saying let’s get this fight to the ground. Let’s look for submissions because Nate can box with anyone, but I feel the power might be a problem for Nate. Because Chimaev is really big… For a welterweight, he’s so big and strong. If I’m team Diaz, I’m trying to get this fight to the ground, or I’m looking for submissions the moment I go down.”

Daniel Cormier continued, “Maybe, time a guillotine when Chimaev goes in for a shot. But, I believe Nate has to go find his spots to give himself a chance. Nate can beat you from the boxing, Nate can box anyone. But the impact in the strikes will belong to Chimaev, in my opinion.”

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