Nate Diaz may have avenged his BMF title loss against Jorge Masvidal in their recent boxing match, but he has now been embroiled in another fight in the courtroom. The Stockton native took on ‘Gamebred’ on July 6 in a 10-round bout that he won via majority decision. According to MMA Fighting, Diaz secured a $500,000 guaranteed purse for the bout, but he has now claimed that he was promised a significantly higher payday than he received in a lawsuit filed against the promotion.

Amidst this legal battle, UFC analyst Chael Sonnen has weighed in by providing his opinion on Diaz’s deal with ‘Fanmio’, the outfit that set up the fight. In his trademark manner, Sonnen confessed that the details surrounding the deal rang alarm bells for him as he has dubbed it “absurd” with the money that was being offered! 

Chael Sonnen highlights shocking details surrounding Nate Diaz’s legal battle 

According to recent reports, Nate Diaz has filed a lawsuit against ‘Fanmio’ and its CEO, Solomon Engel, for a hefty $9 million. He claimed that he was shortchanged for his fight against Jorge Masvidal. The Stockton native has revealed he was only paid $1 million out of the $10 million that was originally agreed upon and has cited fraud and breach of contract as the reasons behind the lawsuit.

This led to Chael Sonnen sharing his thoughts on the entire affair on his YouTube channel as he explained that less reputable organizations often offer larger signing bonuses to attract big names.  He then went on to suggest, “Now we got this great idea and it’s a pay-per-view model, we believe in you two (Diaz and Masvidal), we’ve tested the market a little bit, we’re getting really good vibes so we’re going to cut you in but we’re going to guarantee you 10 million.”

Sonnen found it shocking that Fanmio guaranteed $10 million to Diaz and possibly the same amount to Masvidal. “So now you’re talking about a guarantee of $20 million just to your main event. There would be no standard within our industry that that would mean, it would be absurd,” he remarked.

However, in Engel’s response to Diaz’s lawsuit, he stated that “Nate Diaz has filed a frivolous lawsuit against Fanmio which claims that fraud and breach of contract were committed by Fanmio, yet neither has taken place” and indicated that Diaz had already received payment in seven figures for the fight.

While Diaz continues his legal battle, the broader implications of this case highlight the importance of transparent and fair dealings in the combat sports world. According to a former UFC fighter, these lawsuits don’t exactly end as the Stockton native might have hoped for!

Michael Bisping isn’t sure about Diaz walking away happy from the lawsuit 

On a recent episode of the ‘Believe You Me’ podcast, Michael Bisping was asked by his co-host, Anthony Smith, what he would do if he were in Nate Diaz’s shoes in this situation. The former middleweight champion indicated that while he is sympathetic to Diaz’s plight, he isn’t sure if the results of the lawsuit will lead to Diaz recouping his losses.

Bisping stated, “The amount of people that actually get paid, or even get a judgement or an award, is very, very, low, I believe. And certainly in a position like this, a boxing promoter, they can just absolve the business, declare bankrupt — that’s it, you’re done.”

He further stated that the legal costs of suing an entity like Solomon Engle may be massive and it may dent Diaz’s wallet more than he would like.  It remains to be seen what the outcome is of this lawsuit, but it does highlight the issues surrounding fighter compensation in the combat sports world. Do you think Nate Diaz will be able to walk away with what he claims is owed to him? Let us know in the comments below!