Chael Sonnen hints at potential Israel Adesanya vs. Khamzat Chimaev super-fight
After Dana White's announcement of UFC 293 in Australia which will likely feature Israel Adesanya in the main event, Chael Sonnen believes there's much more to the news than first thought. Given the way the middleweight division is set out, 'The American Gangster' has hinted at Khamzat Chimaev potentially getting his first shot at gold in a fight against the 185lb champion.
Sonnen recently broke the news while speaking with Ariel Helwani that Paulo Costa was going to welcome 'Borz' into the elite level of the middleweight division but that fight never unfolded. 'Borrachinha' will instead face rising phenom Ikram Aliskerov in a dangerous matchup against an unranked opponent.
Discussing the recent fight announcements on YouTube, Chael Sonnen delved into the possibility of Israel Adesanya making his first defense since recapturing his title against Khamzat Chimaev, who remains without a fight.
"It was going to be Chimaev vs. Paulo Costa on Fight Island at 185lbs. It turns out that's been broken up... The same night that we find out that we broke up Chimaev's fight making him available, the same night separated by three hours, we get the information of this Australia deal and a main event known as Israel Adesanya. But nobody has made a connection here. Nobody's even hinted or rumored at a connection here, not until right now... Now we have a date, a venue, and a champion, and now we have a top guy who they broke up a fight with who's now available."
Check out Chael Sonnen's comments on the super-fight in the video below.
Is Khamzat Chimaev the only contender available for Israel Adesanya?
Khamzat Chimaev is a huge star in the UFC and maintains an unbeaten record in the sport, and with rumors of his imminent middleweight move, is he next in line for a title shot?
Israel Adesanya once again reigns atop the weight class but it looks like he has his sights set on other challengers, with one standing out above the rest due to comments made by a contender.
Robert Whittaker will take on Dricus du Plessis at UFC 290 and the winner is thought to be next up for 'The Last Stylebender'. Ideally, the champion wants to face the South African, but a trilogy clash against 'Bobby Knuckles' will be monumental in Australia.