"It’s a very dog-eat-dog world"- Chael Sonnen discusses Khamzat Chimaev's title shot prospect and Dricus du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland matchup plans
Chael Sonnen recently weighed in on the UFC middleweight landscape after Khamzat Chimaev's latest win, which could halt matchup plans for Dricus du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland. The bout hasn't been made official, so the 30-year-old being awarded a title shot instead of Strickland is still realistic.
'Borz' earned a dominant submission win over former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker at UFC 308, which saw him repeatedly take him down and force him to submit after damaging his jaw via face crank. Following the bout, there was speculation whether Chimaev could earn the next title shot instead of Strickland, who had been rumored to be challenging du Plessis next.
The former middleweight title challenger recently uploaded a video to his YouTube channel, mentioning that Chimaev has every right to attempt to take the title shot from Strickland, but hasn't done so because his next bout will be for a title:
"One thing that I have not seen Chimaev do and I respect it is Chimaev has not tried to take that spot from Strickland. And it would be fair game if he did... It's a very dog-eat-dog world but I offer you as evidence... That Chimaev understands it the same way that I do which is he's got the fight. Chimaev's next fight is for a world championship but his next fight is not the next time the world championship is being contested." [6:20]
Check out Chael Sonnen's full video below:
Chael Sonnen explains why Khamzat Chimaev should be in attendance for Dricus du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland 2
In addition to discussing the current UFC middleweight title situation, Chael Sonnen explained why it would be a great idea for the promotion to have Khamzat Chimaev be in attendance for Dricus du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland 2.
During the aforementioned video, Sonnen mentioned that Chimaev being in attendance would be great from a promotional perspective because it immediately builds to the next fight:
"I love the idea of having Chimaev ringside knowing that after [Du Plessis - Strickland], whoever comes out of that, right? That feels like a straight line bracket to me. It feels like we're taking politics out... I like that a lot but I also understand the concept... If Dricus' tweet is to be interpreted that he believes Chimaev is next... It just makes you want Dricus and Sean that much more." [7:20]
Check out Khamzat Chimaev's post-fight interview from UFC 308 below: