"It's a very interesting proposition" - Chael Sonnen talks about a retirement fight for Shogun Rua against another legend Lyoto Machida
MMA analyst and former UFC light heavyweight Chael Sonnen recently suggested a retirement fight for Shogun Rua.
Rua has fought 41 professional fights in his career, with a winning record of 27 matches and thirteen losses. Having held championship belts in both PRIDE and the UFC, the 40-year-old fighter has cemented his status as a legend with his achievements in the sport.
After nearly 15 years in the promotion, the Brazilian legend is now at the end of his current contract. With the promotion targeting the fighter's final bout for UFC 283 next year, Chael Sonnen has a suggestion for who the retiring fighter's final opponent could be.
According to 'The Bad Guy', legend Lyoto Machida, who is currently a free agent, would be the most "appropriate" opponent for Rua.
Putting forth his reasons on a recent episode of his Beyond The Fight podcast, the UFC Hall of Famer had this to say:
"It's a very interesting proposition. I would be interested in that match. I like to watch Lyoto, I like to watch Shogun. It's difficult to get appropriate competition in there with Shogun...And having a history with Machida isn't the world's worst thing. Having Machida come in for a one-time thing in the UFC in Brazil, can we do that? What do you guys think?"
Check out Chael Sonnen discuss a potential Shogun Rua vs. Lyoto Machida below:
Machida and Rua first met at UFC 104, with 'The Dragon' retaining his light heavyweight title via unanimous decision. However, Rua avenged himself in the rematch, knocking out Machida in the first round at UFC 113 on May 8, 2010.
Latest news has revealed that Machida's manager is negotiating with the UFC for a possible Machida vs. Rua trilogy for UFC 283 Brazil. If the matchup comes to fruition, it would definitely be a treat for MMA fans. Brazilian fans would love to see the two legends of the sport fight for one last time in front of their home crowd.
Chael Sonnen predicts which MMA promotion Jake Paul might sign with
Jake Paul recently announced that he is working with a big organisation for his possible MMA debut. Speaking on his BS w/ Jake Paul podcast, 'The Problem Child' said:
“I’ve got an announcement coming soon, I can just tease that...I’m working with a big organization right now on a whole thing in MMA that also has to do with me fighting and we’re going to have an announcement soon.”
You can check out Paul discussing his MMA debut below:
On a recent episode of the Beyond the Fight podcast, Chael Sonnen opined that Paul is likely to strike a deal with Bellator MMA for his MMA debut.
'The American Gangster' also mentioned how Dillon Danis, who is signed with Bellator, will be a "perfect opponent" for Paul given their unresolved feud for quite some time now.
Sonnen said:
"I'm just saying if Jake were to sign somewhere else, everybody's gonna want him. I would be highly interested in how this contest goes. Not to mention the perfect opponent right now for Jake is Dillon Danis, who's under contract with Bellator. So that would be a strong leading candidate."
You can check out Chael Sonnen discuss Jake Paul below: