By The Numbers: Khamzat Chimaev vs. Nate Diaz

Stardom trumps all. Consider it the Nate Diaz rule.

“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 5 winner will find himself on yet another Ultimate Fighting Championship marquee when he confronts the unbeaten Khamzat Chimaev in the UFC 279 headliner on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Diaz, who has not posted a victory in more than three years, enters the cage on the heels of a two-fight losing streak. He last competed at UFC 263, where he dropped a five-round unanimous decision to current welterweight champion Leon Edwards on June 12, 2021. Chimaev, meanwhile, has emerged as perhaps the organization’s most hyped talent. He last appeared on April 9, when he took a hotly-contested unanimous verdict from Gilbert Burns at UFC 273.

As Diaz and Chimaev move ever closer to their forthcoming welterweight battle, a look at some of the numbers that have accompanied them to this point:

28: Years of age for Chimaev, who was born on May 1, 1994 in Beno-Yurt, Russia.

6: Chimaev victories by knockout or technical knockout, accounting for 55% of his career total (11). His list of UFC victims: Gerald Meerschaert and Rhys McKee. Chimaev holds four other victories by submission and one more by decision.

108: Significant strikes landed by Chimaev in his pairing with Burns, surpassing his previous personal best of 43 by a wide margin.

2: Sub-minute finishes on the Chimaev resume. He struck Sidney Wheeler into submission in 35 seconds at Brave Combat Federation 20 on Dec. 22, 2018 and punched out the aforementioned Meerschaert in 17 seconds at UFC Fight Night 178 on Sept. 19, 2020.

.715: Cumulative winning percentage between the five men—Burns, Meerschaert, McKee, Jingliang Li and John Phillips—Chimaev has defeated since he joined the UFC roster. They boast a combined record of 108-42-1.

37: Years of age for Diaz, who was born on April 16, 1985 in Stockton, California.

11: Diaz wins by submission, accounting for 55% of his career total (20). His methods of choice: four triangle chokes, four guillotine chokes, one rear-naked choke, one keylock and one armbar. Diaz owns five other wins by knockout or technical knockout and four more by decision.

2,386: Total strikes landed by Diaz in the UFC, placing him fifth on the promotion’s all-time list. Only Max Holloway (3,217), Georges St. Pierre (2,591), Frankie Edgar (2,479) and Rafael dos Anjos (2,418) have connected with more.

63: Rounds completed by Diaz as a professional mixed martial artist. He has gone the distance on 14 different occasions and carries a 4-10 record in those bouts.

338: Combined victories between the 11 men—Edwards, dos Anjos, Jorge Masvidal, Conor McGregor, Josh Thomson, Benson Henderson, Rory MacDonald, Dong Hyun Kim, Gray Maynard, Joe Stevenson, Clay Guida, Hermes Franca and Koji Oishi—who have beaten Diaz. They sport a .677 cumulative winning percentage at 338-148-13.