UFC commentator, future hall of famer, and former two-division champion Daniel Cormier believes he’s found the perfect opponent for Nate Diaz to see out his UFC contract. Diaz has made no secret of the fact that he wants to leave the promotion, and with a single fight remaining on his contract, the UFC will want to make it a big one. On his YouTube channel, DC pointed out that Michael Chandler may well be the best option for Nate Diaz.
“I think Nate Diaz has finally got it right. Nate Diaz has finally got a target that gives him the best chance for success. You know who it is? It’s my boy Michael Chandler.
DC: Chandler is “The Best Matchup” for Nate Diaz
After what Chandler did to Tony Ferguson, I still look at the matchup, and within that matchup I see places for Nathan Diaz to find success. Why? We saw Tony Ferguson, for the first time in many, many fights, land something significant on someone, knocking my boy Chandler down. Why? My boy Chandler kind of stands in front of people. If you know Nathan Diaz, he’s constant pressure, he’s in your face, he’s boxing you up, and he’s long.”
Both Chandler and Diaz are known for their phenomenal durability, which could make this an exciting fight.
I know Michael Chandler is a ton of bricks, he’s a monster for the weight class, but if Diaz can go up to 170, be tough enough and durable enough to go 25 minutes with Leon Edwards and lose pretty much the whole fight and then hurt him at the end in the way that he did, he can fight a 155-pounder at 170. He’s not depleting himself so much that everything Mike throws at him will hurt him.
I’m not by any means saying this is an easy fight for either guy. I’m saying that in all the matchups that we have seen Diaz tied to, this is the one that I think he has the most chances to find sustained success. Mike’s a tad bit shorter, Mike is really good at striking, and as you know with wrestlers, once we learn to strike … it’s all we want to do. So you’ll see Chandler strike for extended periods of time, which plays into Diaz’s favor.”
It’s likely that the UFC will continue to pursue Diaz vs McGregor 3, but in the event that Conor does not recover from his broken leg in time to fight Nate Diaz, Chandler may well make a great opponent. Do you want to see Diaz vs Chandler? Let us know in the comments.