"Nate's never been against the UFC" - Jake Shields says Nate Diaz is "mainstream celebrity" and needs to be paid accordingly

UFC 279 is expected to be Nate Diaz's final fight in the octagon, but his training partner Jake Shields believes there's always a chance he's staying.

Diaz's current contract expires after his main event clash with Khamzat Chimaev later this month. Based on his comments, all signs point to the Stockton native leaving the company.

However, Shields pointed out that Diaz merely wants to get paid what he believes he deserves. With that in mind, the former UFC welterweight standout revealed that Diaz could stay after all. During an interview with The Schmo, Shields said:

"Yeah, of course, there's always a chance [Nate Diaz stays]. It all depends on what Dana comes out with him. Nate's never been against the UFC... He just wants to be paid adequately."

Shields also explained why he believes his friend deserves a pay bump. According to Shields, the octagon bad boy has reached mainstream popularity and should be compensated as such:

"Nate has crossed over into [an] absolute mainstream celebrity. I mean, Eminem is rapping about him. I hang out with Nate a lot. You go to Hollywood and stuff [and] celebrities are always trying to come up to his table and take pictures with him. You're just, 'Woah! Nate's like the celebrity that all the celebrities are trying to meet.' So he's crossed over to that next level of fame and he needs to be paid for it."

Watch Jake Shields' full interview in the clip below:

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Jake Shields details run-in with Nate Diaz's opponent

Jake Shields revealed that he's had a run-in with Nate Diaz's upcoming opponent Khamzat Chimaev at the UFC Performance Institute (PI).

The former Strikeforce champion said the encounter with Chimaev took place while he was helping UFC middleweight Paulo Costa. Shields stressed that he tried to avoid Chimaev as a sign of respect, but the Chechen-born Swede wanted to start a fight with them:

"I was there this morning working out with Paulo Costa, going over some techniques and just drilling, and all of a sudden Khamzat starts yelling at us and cussing Paulo like, 'Well, you want to fight?' We look over, and it’s him and like 10 dudes," Shields told MMA Junkie Radio.

Watch the interview below:

Shields, of course, has been a teammate of the Stockton native and has been in his corner for some of the biggest fights. On Saturday, he will once again accompany Diaz for what is expected to be his swansong in the UFC.