UFC fan favorite Nate Diaz has one fight left on his contract, and has made no secret of the fact that he wants out. Sonnen took to The MMA Hour to air his feelings on the matter, and compared it to how the UFC handled Conor McGregor’s return to the sport in 2020.
“If we made any mistake as a community, 2020, which seems like yesterday, but we had Conor McGregor, the sport’s biggest star, who was raring to go, to the point that on Jan. [18], they created an event, and event that didn’t even exist – they sold it out in less than 48 hours [for McGregor] to take on [Donald] ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone.
Chael Sonnen: The UFC Should Turn Nate Diaz Loose
This was a massive star, and to preserve the idea that we might get Conor vs. Khabib [Nurmagomedov] 2, we put him on ice, and Conor was ready to go. I think it was a big mistake, and we should have learned from it, and I’m seeing the same thing happening with Diaz. I know there’s more to the story and there’s contracts, but when you have this massive star who’s ready to go, I think you turn him loose.”
Nate Diaz has repeatedly insisted that he’s ready for the next chapter of his career. Diaz is riding a two-fight losing streak in the UFC, with only three wins in his last five fights. It’s clear that the UFC wants Diaz, who rose to prominence on The Ultimate Fighter, to take on a money-making superfight before he goes.
Whether that means a trilogy fight against Conor McGregor, a return to the “BMF” belt against Jorge Masvidal, or a gatekeeping fight against rising star Khamzat Chimaev, remains to be seen.
Much has been made of a rivalry between Diaz and YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, and once freed from his contract, Nate Diaz may well end up fighting the social media star.
“I get where [Diaz vs. Paul] would work and where that would be wonderful, but is that actually something that behind the scenes Jake Paul has said, ‘Yes, get free and we’re going to box each other?’
Is that a sure thing? Because I feel like Francis [Ngannou] started to dip his toe into something with [Tyson] Fury here, too, and it’s like, Francis, is that a lock? Are you positive you’ve got a bird in the hand, here?”
While Francis Ngannou’s contract situation with the UFC remains in limbo, Nate Diaz simply has to fight his way out. What do you think is next for Nate Diaz? Let us know in the comments.
