Chael Sonnen says it's unfair to question Khamzat Chimaev's conditioning ahead of UFC 319

USA Today

2 days ago

Chael Sonnen doesn't see Khamzat Chimaev's cardio being a cause of concern at UFC 319.
Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) challenges middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC) in the Aug. 16 main event at United Center in Chicago (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+).
Many pundits and fighters have predicted the Chimaev vs. Du Plessis fight in the same way – if Chimaev can't finish Du Plessis early, he likely will get outlasted. But Sonnen disagrees.
"Chimaev has got to get him down," Sonnen told MMA Junkie. "He can't just go fight him anywhere. Then there's a big question around Chimaev's conditioning. I don't know if that's fair. We've seen Chimaev get exhausted. Fedor (Emelianenko) used to get exhausted, but he never stopped. It never slowed him down. And it's the same thing with Chimaev.
"I don't think it's fair to question his conditioning. I think he's got a bunch of energy and he uses it all, which is what he's supposed to do. That's going to get tested and we are going to find out if that's accurate. I am also giving Dricus a lot better of a look than I was when Chimaev beat Whittaker and the fight got announced."
Sonnen, a two-time UFC middleweight title challenger, says this weight class is more stacked with talent than it's ever been. He thinks the winner of Du Plessis vs. Chimaev needs to be rewarded even more than just holding the UFC belt.
"As the king of middleweights – and I will tell you when I had my run I had no equal, I was not losing fights, I was not losing rounds, I was not losing moments of fights – but I will tell you I didn't have anything as difficult as it is today," Sonnen said. "We had one or two guys that, at that time, could be top-five guys now. Maybe three guys that fit into the top 10. I have never seen 185 so hard. I don't know who the best guy is.
"I always assumed it was Chimaev because that's what we were told every day. But all of a sudden this guy named Dricus steps forward. ... It is murderer's row. One thing I will accurately tell you about middleweight: Whoever comes out of this fight doesn't just leave with the championship; they need to be moved in the pound-for-pound rankings. If you're the champion of 185, and it's deeper than it's ever been, that needs to be considered – and I don't think it will be. I don't think people are realizing this weight class has never been this difficult."
To hear more from Sonnen, check out his complete appearance on "The Bohnfire" podcast with MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn above.