"That is a Rock vs. Stone Cold matchup" - Chael Sonnen endorses fight between Nate Diaz and Jake Paul

Chael Sonnen has suggested that a Nate Diaz vs. Jake Paul fight would be similar to the legendary multi-million-dollar professional wrestling matchup in the WWE between The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin.

MMA veteran Jake Shields recently claimed that longtime teammate Diaz could box Paul, albeit if the money is right. In an edition of Beyond the Fight, Sonnen addressed this and stated:

“Jake Shields weighing in on the possibility of Nate Diaz and Jake Paul. And that is a Rock versus Stone Cold matchup when you come down to who’s the bigger star, who needs who more. That is your partner. And if you can get a big name across from you – you get a big name calling you out on Twitter – you get a phone call that’s the matchmaker on the other end, and he’s telling you a name that you go, ‘My goodness! That guy’s huge. That’s going to elevate me. That’s going to give me an opportunity.’”

“Nate Diaz, of course, one of the biggest stars in all of combat. Period. But Jake Paul offers something special.”

Sonnen lauded Paul for his tremendously successful YouTube career and massive fanbase. He also harked back to the Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. event that transpired in November 2020 and reportedly garnered more than 1.6 million pay-per-view buys.

He opined that the pay-per-view was successful not just because of Tyson and Jones, but because of Paul who was fighting on the undercard. Similarly, Sonnen recalled Diaz’s last UFC fight, which took place in June 2021 against Leon Edwards. He insinuated that before, during, and after his loss to Edwards, Diaz received unwavering support from the fans.

Watch Chael Sonnen endorse a Diaz-Paul fight in the video below:

---

Josh Thomson believes Nate Diaz is unlikely to re-sign with the UFC

In an edition of the Weighing In podcast, former UFC lightweight Josh Thomson discussed Nate Diaz’s future. 'The Punk' believes that Diaz – who has just one fight left on his UFC contract – won’t re-sign with the UFC and will likely retire after his next UFC fight. Thomson said:

"I don't think he's [Diaz is] gonna re-sign. I think he's gonna ride off into the sunset and do his own thing. He's got kids now, man, he's trying to do what Kayla Harrison's doing. Just make that money so his kids don't ever have to work again. Smart play by Nate."

Watch the full video below:

Meanwhile, Diaz has publicly requested to be released from the UFC. The consensus is that the Stockton native could face YouTube megastar Jake Paul in a lucrative boxing match after parting ways with the UFC.