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Diaz said this moment is simply the "halftime show," now that he will have the freedom to do whatever he wants after this fight. Diaz vs. Chimaev is a polarizing matchup that analysts and even other UFC fighters have blasted. Chimaev is 28 years old and one of the hottest rising stars in the UFC, a dominant wrestler from Chechnya via Sweden with a 5-0 UFC record and four finishes. He is very likely on the cusp of a title shot. Diaz, meanwhile, is nine years older, has 14 more years of pro-MMA wear and tear, and has lost three of four.

Butcher did well initially but had trouble with Diaz's pace and body shots as the rounds wore on, a situation not foreign to past Diaz opponents. ESPN Daily podcast

Nate Diaz's UFC career by the numbers

Early in this camp, Diaz and company traveled to Belgrade, Montana, to train with Brazilian jiu-jitsu royalty Kron Gracie. About three weeks from the fight, Diaz, his brother and his teammates competed in a triathlon in Lake Tahoe. Sometimes, they all go downstate to Los Angeles to train with coach Ernie Reyes Jr., a lifelong martial artist with a bevy of Hollywood acting credits. It's possible, though unlikely, that none of this will come to fruition. That wouldn't bother Diaz. It's a risk he's willing to take.

I've been waiting to do it for a long time, because I know he could do it," Perez says. "I'm for it all the way. He'll do really good. He'll be in the top two [in his division], I bet you. He could win a belt. When he's training just in boxing, he's tremendous. People talk about him all the time. We go to professional boxing gyms ... [and] he whips guys' butts." I don't want to not fight in the UFC, because that's where all the best fighters are in the world. But I do not want to fight in UFC for a while, because while I'm here I'm either doing nothing or I have to fight some f---ing lame ass and build him up for him to fight somebody, for somebody to be somebody for me to fight. Does that make sense, though, or no? It's f---ing completely logical, I believe." For his next fight after Chimaev, Diaz would like to compete in mixed martial arts, not boxing, under his promotional banner. But, Diaz said, if history is any indication, everything changes for him after every fight. So, nothing can be made definite until after Saturday.The UFC's reason for making the fight is transparent: Before Diaz departs, the promotion wants to use his star power to build the profile of Chimaev. It's an old pro wrestling business strategy applied when wrestlers were on their way out of the region -- they first were made to lose to that territory's next big star. Chimaev is a -1100 betting favorite, while Diaz is a +700 underdog, per Caesars Sportsbook. Nate Diaz has trained extensively in boxing, and a fight against Jake Paul has been rumored for Diaz after his UFC run ends. Marc Raimondi/ESPN Diaz finds it ironic that McGregor took a gig that was first offered to Diaz, considering how their careers have intersected. Diaz believes he was the catalyst for McGregor achieving superstardom as the biggest money-drawing star in UFC history. Diaz choked out McGregor at UFC 196 in March 2016, raising his profile exponentially. In the rematch five months later, McGregor won by a very close majority decision, with one judge calling it a draw.