"The competitive juice isn't quite as strong as we thought" - Chael Sonnen likens Khamzat Chimaev vs. Nate Diaz to Dustin Poirier picking Conor McGregor over a title fight
Chael Sonnen has weighed in on Khamzat Chimaev's recent comments about turning down a potential welterweight title shot to fight Nate Diaz. The UFC recently announced that Chimaev will share the octagon with Diaz in what will likely be the Stockton native's farewell fight in the promotion.
The pair will lock horns at the upcoming UFC 279 pay-per-view on September 10. 'Borz' recently claimed that he had the option to wait for the winner of the upcoming welterweight title clash between Kamaru Usman and Leon Edwards. However, he chose to fight Diaz because it seemed like a "fun" fight to him.
Khamzat Chimaev is set to fight Nate Diaz on Sept. 10 at UFC 279 🍿 https://t.co/MuVGFQjsqS
Chael Sonnen likened this to Dustin Poirier choosing a trilogy fight with Conor McGregor over a potential lightweight title shot back in 2021.
Sonnen also added that he doesn't think Chimaev's comments about the title shot are completely true because it would depict that the Chechen-born Swede's "competitive juice isn't quite as strong" as he initially thought it was.
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In a recently shared video on his YouTube channel, Sonnen said:
"I think he was probably working a little bit because if you believe that you now have Chimaev, who appears to be an absolute hungry competitor, 'Give me more, give me different weight classes, keep me busy, you pick them, I don't care...' This would show that he does care. This would show that that competitive juice isn't quite as strong as we thought, and that would surprise me..."
Watch the video below:
Khamzat Chimaev wants to become a two-division UFC champion
Khamzat Chimaev is fighting Nate Diaz next but he does have his sights set on championship fights in the UFC. 'Borz' is currently undefeated in the octagon and finds himself in title contention with just five fights under his belt. Chimaev has big dreams and claims he won't be satisfied with conquering just one division in the UFC.
Chimaev, who's fought at both welterweight and middleweight in the UFC thus far, wants to become champion in both divisions. During a recent appearance on Ariel Helwani's The MMA Hour, Chimaev spoke about his ambition to become a two-division UFC champion.
"After Diaz, maybe I’m going to go up if Usman wants to wait a long time. Maybe I’m going to go up to 185 and fight somebody there, because I want to take both belts."
Catch the interview below: