Khamzat Chimaev fires back at ‘fake gangster’ Nate Diaz, says Nick Diaz ‘ran away’ from him

It didn’t take UFC welterweight star Khamzat Chimaev long to respond to Nate Diaz.

Chimaev fired back at Diaz on Thursday after the Stockton, Calif., native brushed off a potential fight, saying Chimaev wasn’t on his level.

The 27-year-old Chechen didn’t take kindly to that opinion, writing Diaz is a “fake gangster” and “the easiest money for me.” He also included a shot at Diaz’s older brother, Nick Diaz.

“Say hello to your older brother, tell him not to be afraid of me, I don’t beat old people, he knows what I mean, in Vegas I just wanted to say hello well, poor man ran away,” he wrote.

Chimaev then posted a cartoon of a bulldozer scooping up chickens and a meme with rival Colby Covington tagged where he appeared to be eating a heart.

Two months on the sidelines has only amped up Chimaev’s desire to fight. After a health scare with COVID-19 where he announced his retirement, he returned full bore with a first-round submission of Li Jingliang at UFC 267. That upped his current streak to four wins, all inside the distance.

Chimaev has called out every major welterweight star – and a few fighters retired or in a different weight class – to no avail. According to UFC President Dana White, the surging welterweight has struggled not only in public but behind the scenes.

Diaz said the UFC offered him a fight with Chimaev, but he turned it down outright in favor of a top-five opponent. He targeted UFC 270 in January as an ideal event for his comeback.

At No. 11, Diaz said Chimaev wasn’t worth his time and chastised other fighters who’d take on a “rookie” in the game.

“I’m cool, you got four fights in the UFC,” Diaz told TMZ. “Don’t even talk my name.”