"That was a very sociopath move of us" - Chael Sonnen details how Nate Diaz is benefitting from the "made up" idea of the UFC holding him back
Former UFC fighter Chael Sonnen has weighed in on the general fan's perception that the UFC was holding back the career of veteran Nate Diaz.
Diaz recently ended his tenure with the organization after his UFC 279 main-event bout against Tony Ferguson. Originally set to face Khamzat Chimaev, Diaz was rescheduled to face another veteran in Ferguson after the Chechen-born welterweight missed weight. The Stockton fighter bowed out of the UFC with a victory against 'El Cucuy', submitting him in the fourth round.
Nate Diaz's dispute with the UFC has centered around the belief that he's been denied multiple fights, opportunities and ventures that would have seen him make significant money. A 'superfight' with Jake Paul has also been rumored but Diaz was unable to secure the bout while under contract.
Discussing the now-free-agent fighter on his YouTube channel, Chael Sonnen said that Diaz has benefitted from fans believing he's been hampered by the UFC:
"We all decided the UFC's holding him up, the UFC is holding Nate up for a boxing match with Jake Paul. We made it up! We made that up. That was a very sociopath move of us...We made that up but forget we made it up. We forgot along the way that there was no actual source for it. We thought we were right, we began to speculate."
Watch the full video here:
Tony Ferguson frustrated with himself for attempting takedown against Nate Diaz
Tony Ferguson recently expressed his disappointment with his performance that saw him lose via a guillotine choke to Nate Diaz deep into their main-event bout at UFC 279.
The last-minute headliner saw the two veterans go head-to-head in what was the last fight of Diaz's contract. Both fighters had their moments, but Diaz was leading on all three judges' scorecards heading into the fourth.
A tiring Ferguson shot for a takedown but the Stockton fighter's years of jiu-jitsu training and his preparation for Chimaev saw him immediately lock in the submission for the victory.
"The fight world belongs to Nate Diaz!"
The fact that @NateDiaz209 submitted Tony Ferguson at 𝑩𝑨𝑵𝑮 𝑶𝑵 2:09 in round 4 is just poetic. https://t.co/zvSoRd5vN0
Post-fight and now dealing with a five-fight skid, 'El Cucuy' spoke with ESPN MMA's Brett Okamoto and shared his frustration at not keeping the fight standing:
"But I guarantee that he [Nate Diaz] was preparing for that takedown with Chimaev. I would be practicing my submissions left and right. He had that in his tank already, so I'm kicking myself for not keeping it standing for sure on that one."
Check out the interview here: