Chael Sonnen questions Belal Muhammad's decision to make Gilbert Burns fight at UFC 288 a five-round event
Chael Sonnen, a former UFC light heavyweight and middleweight mixed martial artist, recently raised questions and analyzed Belal Muhammad's decision to engage in a five-round fight against Gilbert Burns.
In a video on his YouTube channel, 'The American Gangster',expressed admiration for Muhammad's confidence in his conditioning by requesting two additional rounds. Moreover, Sonnen commended Muhammad for overcoming numerous obstacles and positioning himself just one victory away from a title match in the welterweight division.
While praising Belal Muhammad, Chael Sonnen also voiced concerns regarding Muhammad's ability to defeat Burns.
"But if you watch that fight[against Kamaru Usman], Gilbert hurt him. He [Gilbert Burns] had him [Kamaru Usman] stumble a little bit. Kamaru had to figure things out, get straightened out. When Kamaru had one chance to put him [Gilbert Burns] to sleep, he had to finish him. If you don't shut that man [Gilbert Burns] off, he's not going away, he's not going anywhere."
Watch the full video below:
Ever since his loss to Geoff Neal in 2019, 34-year-old Muhammad, has maintained an undefeated record, showcasing his determination to prolong his winning streak. His eagerness to defeat Gilbert Burns and secure a chance at the welterweight title further fuels his motivation.
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Chael Sonnen predicts the winner of Henry Cejudo vs. Aljamain Sterling.
In a recent video Chael Sonnen, expressed his belief that Henry Cejudo will emerge as the winner in his upcoming UFC288 fight against Aljamain Sterling.
Sonnen stated that since this would be Sterling's first time headlining a UFC pay-per-view event, his nerves and anxieties might overpower him.
"John Anik broke this today, I didn't know it until John said it. John said that this is Sterling's first time in a main event. All these times that he's[Sterling] been featured to other title fights, those[fights] headlined by the other fighters. This time he[Sterling] will be the absolute last athlete to leave the bath and walk to the Octagon. Does that matter? It does on many levels when you're the champion of the world. Some of those nerves and anxieties might be getting to you."
Chael Sonnen further emphasized that the reigning bantamweight champion has made remarkable progress over the years. Additionally, Sonnen highlighted that Sterling demonstrated caution in his previous bout against Petr Yan, refraining from excessive engagement in the later rounds to prevent getting stopped.
"Alja[Aljamain Sterling] was extremely cautious in fight number two with Petr Yan and he gave away rounds four and five. he did that by strategy. It was an extremely risky strategy."
"One thing about Sterling, he turned out to be a lot better than we knew he was."
Watch the full video below: