"It was supposed to be what Chandler and Gaethje ended up being" - Chael Sonnen on cancelled fight between Luke Rockhold and Sean Strickland
Chael Sonnen believes Luke Rockhold should fight Sean Strickland instead of Paulo Costa this summer.
In a recent episode of Beyond the Fight uploaded to his YouTube channel, Chael Sonnen was seen discussing Paulo Costa and his career in the promotion. At one point, while discussing Costa's upcoming fight at UFC 277, 'The Bad Guy' also spoke of Rockhold.
The former middleweight champion has been out of the octagon for quite some time now. He last entered the octagon back in 2019 at UFC 239.
After a long break, the fighter finally made up his mind to make a comeback at UFC 268 against Sean Strickland. However, he backed out a week before the fight due to a back injury.
Breaking
🚨Breaking🚨
Former UFC middleweight champ Luke Rockhold is OUT of his return fight on November 6th against Sean Strickland due to a back injury
The return fo Luke Rockhold will unfortunately be put on hold. The UFC will look to find a replacement for Strickland #UFC https://t.co/tKPMD3u0MH
In a recent event, Rockhold has been matched up against Paulo Costa for a fight that is reportedly being targeted for August 20.
Chael Sonnen gave his take on Rockhold's comeback fight against Costa. He believes the champ should fight Strickland again instead of Costa in a rescheduled fight.
Speaking of Luke Rockhold, the UFC Hall of Famer said:
"The last time we were supposed to see Luke, it was a fight that the whole world wanted to see. It's gonna be a main card of Madison Square garden. It was supposed to be what Chandler and Gaethje ended up being. Which was supposed to be Luke versus Sean Strickland."
He added:
"I only bring you that piece of history because usually when a guy like Luke, who's a former champion of the world returns... pickup where you left off. You get him back in there with Sean Strickland. It was never even discussed."
You can check out Chael Sonnen discuss Luke Rockhold in the video below:
Luke Rockhold is set to make his comeback against Paulo Costa
Luke Rockhold will make his return to the octagon to face Paulo Costa. Returning to the octagon after a three-year hiatus, Rockhold appears to be fully prepared for his UFC return.
The American was last seen in the octagon in 2019, when he was defeated by Jan Blachowicz. Rockhold had previously suffered a defeat against Yoel Romero and is currently on a two-fight losing streak.
With his upcoming fight against 'The Eraser,' the American southpaw is expected to go all out to get back on track and prove himself in the promotion.