LAS VEGAS – Chael Sonnen thinks Nate Diaz likely will be back with the UFC.
Diaz (21-13 MMA, 16-11 UFC) currently is a free agent after he fought out his UFC contract this past September with a submission of Tony Ferguson in the UFC 279 headliner.
The superstar from Stockton, Calif., has yet to announce his next move, but Sonnen doesn’t think he’ll end up in a new home after all.
“I think that the most likely return of Nate Diaz is the octagon,” Sonnen told MMA Junkie Radio after he hosted a BKFC 41 news conference Tuesday at Palms Resort Casino in Las Vegas. “With all the rumors that you’re hearing, I think the UFC is still leading that.”
The 37-year-old Diaz expressed interest in a move to boxing and has been called out by the likes of Eddie Alvarez, Dillon Danis and Jake Paul – who offered Diaz a two-fight deal in boxing and MMA.
If Diaz does indeed choose to box next, Sonnen sees him doing well.
“He does appear to plod,” Sonnen said. “I’ve always thought it wasn’t speed, it was volume. He’s coming to the body, he’s coming back upstairs – but it was volume. I sparred with him, and he’s a hell of a lot faster than he looks on TV. I see what you see on TV, but there’s a reason he never misses. His accuracy is through the roof, and that’s because his speed is actually there.”
