Chael Sonnen thinks the ship has officially sailed on a trilogy fight between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz happening in the UFC.
Diaz (21-13 MMA, 16-11 UFC) revealed during a recent interview with Theo Von that he was in negotiations with the UFC to make a return to the promotion, with the long-awaited rubber match with McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC) being a focal point. Diaz wanted to fight Charles Oliveira for the BMF title instead, then when he was offered a fight against Mike Perry for May 16 on Netflix, he opted to accept that instead.
Moreover, Diaz said he wasn’t interested in facing McGregor because he wanted to complete the trilogy “when we’re both on the uprise, not when someone’s dying out.” His willingness to pass on such an opportunity came as a surprise to many, but not Sonnen, who knows Diaz and his mentality well.
“Nate Diaz lives by a code, and you’re not going to get around it,” Sonnen told MMA Junkie. “You’re not going to bribe him, you’re not going to pressure him. He lives by a code. It just gets complicated, but this is not a negotiation tactic by him. He’s serious (when he says), ‘I don’t want to fight Conor, Conor’s been out for five years and by the way he’s got a leg injury. Let him get back, get a win and then I’ll come in.’ He wants to fight Charles Oliveira. Nobody wants to fight Charles Oliveira. Nate is serious. And it’s not just about Charles. It’s not just the jiu-jitsu clash there. That’s the belt that escaped him. That BMF belt means something to him, and Charles happens to be the guy wearing it. Nate is being sincere. Could he lose that fight (to Mike Perry)? Could UFC lose interest in that over time? Of course. But that’s not going to change Nate’s mind. He’s not going to kick a guy when he’s down.”
McGregor, meanwhile, is targeting a comeback fight at UFC 329 on July 11 in Las Vegas. It would mark almost exactly five years to the date of when he last competed against Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 and suffered a broken leg, and there is momentum behind Max Holloway being the opponent.
Unless McGregor reaches a new contract with the UFC, he currently has two fights remaining on his deal. There’s no certain timeline for when he could hit free agency if he’s able to successful fight out his contract, which puts him on a timeline potentially opposite Diaz.
Sonnen doesn’t rule out a world where McGregor, 37, and Diaz, 40, somehow come together outside of the UFC to settle the score, but if he had to make a prediction, he doesn’t see them in a competitive setting ever again.
“I don’t think (the trilogy happens),” Sonnen said. “My guess on Conor is we’re going to get him one more and I think we could really enjoy it. Now if you speak to Conor, and I did, you’re going to get him a minimum of three more times. He’s going to do a couple of fights and go box. … I think we’re going to get Conor for one more fight. I think we’re probably going to miss out on the trilogy. Sadly.”
To hear more from Sonnen, check out his complete appearance on “The Bohnfire” podcast with MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn.
