"Conor McGregor thought he was in a squash match" - Chael Sonnen does not buy the odds of Khamzat Chimaev vs. Nate Diaz, warns 'Borz' Diaz "is not going away"

Nate Diaz should not be underestimated by Khamzat Chimaev or another Conor McGregor situation could potentially pop up, says Chael Sonnen.

On a recent episode of Beyond The Fight, Sonnen discussed the promoter versus fighter narrative some are crafting with Dana White and Diaz, the possibilities and what-ifs of the Chimaev–Diaz bout, and much more.

Talking about the UFC 279 pay-per-view headliner, Sonnen said:

"Chimaev can be as big of a favorite as they want. He [Diaz] can be as much of a squash match as they want. Nate Diaz will whip your a**. Conor McGregor thought he was in a squash match [with Diaz]. I mean just so you understand. You think Chimaev's big? Conor McGregor had two world championships and an interim."

Sonnen continued:

"Nate beat him [McGregor]. Changed his career and changed his life. So if you're team Chimaev, you've got to be godd**n sure your guy knows this dude is not going away. Great, that's probably all you have to know about Nate. Nate's probably not going to bring you a skill that you haven't seen before. That's true. He's going to bring you a grit."

Watch the video below:

The first McGregor versus Diaz bout, the one referenced above, ended with Diaz securing a rear-naked choke in the second round. The contest went down in the UFC 196 main event in March 2016.

Diaz vs. McGregor II saw the Irishman even up the series by way of a majority decision at UFC 202 in a blockbuster bout in August 2016.

---

Nate Diaz's UFC tenure coming to an end

Diaz will look to put the first-ever blemish on Chimaev's mixed martial arts record. Meanwhile, 'Borz' aims to go 12-0 as a pro at the expense of Diaz as the Stockton native fights out the last bout of his contract.

Chimaev is a hungry, surging welterweight who is already drumming up some quotables in the lead-up to the September clash.

Nate Diaz has been with the UFC for over 15 years. Since becoming the season five champion of The Ultimate Fighter, Diaz has had notable moments as both a welterweight and lightweight competitor.

Before joining the UFC, Diaz fought for circuits like Pancrase and Strikeforce and contended for the WEC lightweight world title as well. His last victory took place against Anthony Pettis via unanimous decision at UFC 241 in August 2019.

Watch highlights of Diaz vs. Pettis below: