John McCarthy thinks Nate Diaz will 'have to' take Khamzat Chimaev fight as his last UFC bout, suggests trilogy with Conor McGregor may not happen

From L-R: John McCarthy, Nate Diaz and Khamzat Chimaev [Photo credits: @johnmccarthymma, @khamzat_chimaev and @natediaz209 on Instagram]

'Big' John McCarthy believes Nate Diaz will end up being forced to accept a fight against Khamzat Chimaev if he wants to get out of his contract soon.

With just one fight left on his current deal, Nate Diaz is trying to wrap up his UFC obligations before the year ends. UFC President Dana White recently stated that he's looking at Chimaev for Diaz's next fight – an idea that the Stockton native immediately shot down.

This is Nate Diaz’s reaction to Dana White wanting him to fight Khamzat Chimaev. https://t.co/ipVeHRKkU2

However, according to McCarthy, Diaz might not have a choice at the end of the day. In a recent episode of the Weighing In podcast, McCarthy said:

"The fight that's he's gonna end up taking is [Khamzat] Chimaev. That's the fight that they're going to give him. That's the fight that he's going to have to take and that's the fight that he's going to have to win if he wants to go out on a win. Or that's the fight he's gonna have to do his best in, he going against a guy that's a great wrestler, something he doesn't like actually fighting. And he's going against a guy who's going to fight off his submission attempts."

Check out John McCarthy's take on a potential Nate Diaz-Khamzat Chimaev matchup below:

Josh Thomson suggests the UFC could use Conor McGregor trilogy as reason to renew Nate Diaz's contract

John McCarthy's co-host Josh Thomson believes the UFC could leverage a potential Conor McGregor trilogy bout to convince Nate Diaz to re-sign with the company. According to Thomson:

"Honestly, I truly believe that he should wait until Conor comes back and have Conor and him as the last fight. I don't know if that will happen, I think that's a big money fight. But that also maybe something that gets him to sign another contract. 'If you wanna fight Conor, we need to have you sign another four-fight deal with us.' That might be the incentive to keep him."

McGregor and Diaz are presently 1-1 against each other. A trilogy bout between the two would undeniably be one of the most highly-anticipated matchups in recent memory. Only time will tell, however, if Diaz has the patience to wait for McGregor's return.