Chael Sonnen believes Paulo Costa would be successful at light heavyweight
Chael Sonnen weighed in on Paulo Costa re-signing a new contract with the UFC and what could be next for him after agreeing to terms with the promotion.
Sonnen uploaded a video to his YouTube channel where he spoke about how he views Costa in the middleweight division and possible opponents. He mentioned that although he's happy to see that the Brazilian is committed to achieving success at 185lbs, he would like to see him move up to light heavyweight instead:
"He's been very disciplined, [185lbs] that's where he wants to be. That's awesome, right, he's got a vision, he's gonna stick to it. I'm just sharing with you, I like him at 205[lbs]. I think it's a fresh coat of paint, I think that's an interesting division. I think he matches up very well there. And in all fairness, I don't have a lot of ideas down at 185[lbs]." [6:09 - 6:25]
Despite wanting 'Borrachinha' suggesting Khamzat Chimaev and Sean Strickland as opponents that would interest him when he returns to the octagon, 'The American Gangster' noted that there seems to be some reluctance at least where Chimaev is concerned, saying:
"That sounds good to me [fighting either Khamzat Chamaev or Sean Strickland]. But I caught an interview with Chimaev just yesterday, he was talking about Colby [Covington]. Chimaev was on Ariel's [Helwani] talking about Colby. Colby's a [1]70-pounder."
It will be interesting to see whether the UFC book Costa vs. Chimaev or if the former middleweight title challenger follows Sonnen's advice and moves up to light heavyweight instead.
Check out the full video:
Chael Sonnen sounds off on the middleweight division
Dana White says that Khamzat Chimaev will be moving up to middleweight for his next fight #UFC286 https://t.co/7AkZfhpJE4
Chael Sonnen sounded off on the UFC's middleweight division as he felt as though none of the contenders seemed to want to fight each other.
During the aforementioned video, Sonnen mentioned that aside from Israel Adesanya and middleweight champion Alex Pereira, there aren't any contenders that are calling each other or setting the stage for big fights in the division:
"Is that what's happening here, do we have 5 guys at the top and they're all buddies or something along these lines?...That doesn't sound right but somehow that's what's happening and it's been going on for quite some time. I get asked this all the time, what do you want to see these guys do?...Hell if I know, none of them want to fight each other." [2:15 - 3:13]
It will be interesting to see what fight the UFC look to book in the middleweight division, especially now that they know Paulo Costa is signed for 4 more fights and it appears as though Khamzat Chimaev will be moving up to 185lbs.