"Pay-per-view with no No.1 contender bout and no championship match" - Chael Sonnen suggests Jorge Masvidal as backup for Nate Diaz vs. Khamzat Chimaev to save star-deprived UFC 279 card

Chael Sonnen is disappointed with the card for UFC 279 [Sonnen image via Chael Sonnen on YouTube | Masvidal image via Getty | UFC 279 poster via ufc.com]

UFC 279 will be headlined by a welterweight clash between promotional veteran Nate Diaz and surging contender Khamzat Chimaev. The pay-per-view event will take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, on September 10.

Chael Sonnen feels that the fight card for the event is underwhelming.

NATE GOT HIS WISH VS KHAMZAT

Khamzat Chimaev v. Nate Diaz
UFC 279 | Sept. 10 | Main Event https://t.co/BNW86mEAnG

According to 'The American Gangster', there are no fights on the card other than the main event, which could sell pay-per-view buys in large numbers. Even the main event isn't a title fight, as is usually the case for UFC PPVs. If the main event is in jeopardy, the UFC might suffer losses in revenue generated from the PPV.

Me looking at that UFC 279 PPV card https://t.co/Hdkw0q00UM

According to Sonnen, the promotion must have a backup fighter ready and he believes Jorge Masvidal would be the perfect candidate.

In a recently shared video on his YouTube channel, Sonnen said:

"I do not know a single human that's on the card... Why is that? A pay-per-view with no number one contender's bout and no championship match... If they lose their main event, you lose the entire event which would come back to what I was going to say about Jorge Masvidal, to put him in that position. Jorge appears to be wanting to fight and he's not getting one. Masvidal is a massive star and he's not getting matched up."

Watch the video below:

Jorge Masvidal feels Nate Diaz could stop Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 279

Jorge Masvidal believes Nate Diaz might shock the world at UFC 279. Chimaev is the overwhelming favorite to beat the Stockton native when the pair throw down inside the cage. Masvidal, however, believes that Diaz could cause a big upset by finishing 'Borz' in their upcoming clash.

During a recent conversation with MMA Fighting, Masvidal said:

"I think Khamzat Chimaev probably wins, but I can see Nate putting him away in rounds four or five because Khamzat doesn’t have that gas tank. He doesn’t have that experience, and I think he gets too in the moment where he’s wasting energy doing stupid s***. Nate is going to conserve all of that energy and get in his face when it counts. I think Khamzat should win, but I won’t be surprised if Nate stops his a**."

Masvidal also expressed a desire to fight Khamzat Chimaev down the line. Masvidal claimed that if the Russian-born Swede proves to be a bonafide PPV star in the UFC, he wouldn't mind "breaking his f***ing face" inside the octagon.

In his last fight, Masvidal suffered a lopsided unanimous decision loss against arch-rival Colby Covington. Khamzat Chimaev, on the other hand, picked up a decision win over Gilbert Burns in his last outing.