This was the incredible weight difference between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz at UFC 196

Former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen has claimed that there was a significant difference in weight between Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor when the two faced each other at UFC 196.

Speaking during a recent You’re Welcome podcast episode, Sonnen was full of praise for McGregor's display during the fight.

“It was really quite incredible. I thought Conor McGregor, I thought his stock went up. He got beat. He got beat up. And he should have. He went up two weight classes. "Ok he’s the 145 pound champ and skips 155 and moves all the way up to 170. Covers a three weight spread right there. That just doesn’t happen. Nobody has even attempted it. Let alone done it successfully. "He was successful for a big portion of that fight. Don’t forget that. He was successful for a while.”

Sonnen later suggested that McGregor entered the ring weighing around 15 pounds less than his opponent.

"Nate went to bed the night before the fight at 183-pounds. He probably got in to the cage at 181-pounds. Conor probably came in to the ring at 166-pounds. "So you’re looking at about fourteen to fifteen pounds right there. That matters at the size.”

As McGregor acknowledged after his secnd round submission, Diaz' size meant he ate the shots that made featherweights crumble in the past three years in the UFC. Size matters.