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USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Chael Sonnen says it's unfair to question Khamzat Chimaev's conditioning ahead of UFC 319
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.
Yahoo
29-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Din Thomas: 'It's a disaster' if Khamzat Chimaev wins title at UFC 319
UFC analyst Din Thomas about has concerns about Khamzat Chimaev's reliability as champion if he claims middleweight gold from Dricus Du Plessis in the UFC 319 main event. After starting his UFC career by becoming the quickest fighter in modern history to three octagon wins, Chimaev's pace had slowed significantly in recent years, with just five fight since September 2020. His talent has been undeniable, however, and he's now just weeks away from challenging Du Plessis in the Aug. 16 headliner at United Center in Chicago (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+). The MMA world is collectively holding its breathe that Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) makes it to fight night without issue. If that happens and he delivers a winning performance against Du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC), then Thomas thinks that's where the issues could only begin. "If Khamzat wins it's a disaster," Thomas told MMA Junkie. "You can't tell me a part of you isn't just thinking, 'This fight might not actually happen.' Some of these guys habitual struggle in just making it to the dance. I'm not going to be pessimistic about it and will say he's going to show up. But if he does show up and he's able to win, do we trust him to be able to show up and fight again? That's the thing. "Can he do it twice? Can he do it three times? Because we need movement. I hate when it's static and there's no movement in these divisions and in order to be movement in the divisions, the champions have to fight." Only speculation can be placed on what Chimaev's fighting schedule could look like if he claims UFC gold. However, Thomas ultimately thinks that won't be a reality the promotion will face. His analysis of the 185-pound title bout could evolve as UFC 319 gets closer, but as it currently stands, Thomas is predicting Du Plessis to retain the belt. "I think Dricus wins," Thomas said. "I think he beats him and wears him out earlier, actually, and even before the fifth round. It think he could get a stoppage somewhere in the third. Not just weathering the storm, but matching the pace, being a little more efficient in areas and we just start to see Khamzat slow down a little bit and Dricus take over." To hear more from Thomas, check out his complete appearance on "The Bohnfire" podcast with MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn above. This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Din Thomas: Khamzat Chimaev title win at UFC 319 would be 'a disaster'
USA Today
29-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Din Thomas: 'It's a disaster' if Khamzat Chimaev wins title at UFC 319
UFC analyst Din Thomas about has concerns about Khamzat Chimaev's reliability as champion if he claims middleweight gold from Dricus Du Plessis in the UFC 319 main event. After starting his UFC career by becoming the quickest fighter in modern history to three octagon wins, Chimaev's pace had slowed significantly in recent years, with just five fight since September 2020. His talent has been undeniable, however, and he's now just weeks away from challenging Du Plessis in the Aug. 16 headliner at United Center in Chicago (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+). The MMA world is collectively holding its breathe that Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) makes it to fight night without issue. If that happens and he delivers a winning performance against Du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC), then Thomas thinks that's where the issues could only begin. "If Khamzat wins it's a disaster," Thomas told MMA Junkie. "You can't tell me a part of you isn't just thinking, 'This fight might not actually happen.' Some of these guys habitual struggle in just making it to the dance. I'm not going to be pessimistic about it and will say he's going to show up. But if he does show up and he's able to win, do we trust him to be able to show up and fight again? That's the thing. "Can he do it twice? Can he do it three times? Because we need movement. I hate when it's static and there's no movement in these divisions and in order to be movement in the divisions, the champions have to fight." Only speculation can be placed on what Chimaev's fighting schedule could look like if he claims UFC gold. However, Thomas ultimately thinks that won't be a reality the promotion will face. His analysis of the 185-pound title bout could evolve as UFC 319 gets closer, but as it currently stands, Thomas is predicting Du Plessis to retain the belt. "I think Dricus wins," Thomas said. "I think he beats him and wears him out earlier, actually, and even before the fifth round. It think he could get a stoppage somewhere in the third. Not just weathering the storm, but matching the pace, being a little more efficient in areas and we just start to see Khamzat slow down a little bit and Dricus take over." To hear more from Thomas, check out his complete appearance on "The Bohnfire" podcast with MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn above.
USA Today
15-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Daniel Cormier explains why Dustin Poirier's retirement fight will be 'hardest' to call
Daniel Cormier admits it won't be easy commentating Dustin Poirier's final appearance in the octagon at UFC 318. Poirier (30-9 MMA, 22-8 UFC) challenges Max Holloway (26-8 MMA, 22-8 UFC) for the BMF title in Saturday's main event (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. The pair will fight for a third time in Poirier's home state after "The Diamond" beat Holloway twice before. Like Poirier, Cormier is born in Lafayette, La. He opened up on his special bond with Poirier, which dates back to 2011. "It's one that I hate that we're having to do, because Dustin's been so important to martial arts, but everybody has their time," Cormier told MMA Junkie. "I'm lucky enough to be there when it happens and be right next to the octagon or in the octagon when it happens. I've had to do some pretty emotional ones before in my career, but I think this one will probably be the hardest because I met Dustin way back after I beat Jeff Monson. "I ran into him at a gym in Lafayette, and to see what he's become, it's outstanding. Everybody has their time. I'm just happy Dustin understands when his number has been called and when it's time to walk away, that he can be comfortable with the decision he's making. He's got the red carpet rolled out for him fighting at home, it doesn't get better than that." Poirier insists that even if he beats Holloway and claims the BMF title, he has no intentions of fighting again – and Cormier believes him. "I think he's done," Cormier said. "It sounds like a man who has come to peace with what's happening. A man who knows his time has come. His number has been called. We all get a certain amount of time in fighting. Generally the game does away with the athlete. Seems like Dustin Poirier knows that his time is here, and he wants to make sure he's done before the game is done with him. "I like that. I like hearing that from DP. I like hearing how sure he is that the career is probably over. I like it. I like seeing a guy that recognizes it's time. I know because I'm a guy that walked into his last fight knowing it was over. It's done. I'm not doing this no more. There's a peace in knowing when your time comes." To hear more from Cormier, check out his complete appearance on "The Bohnfire" podcast with MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn above.
USA Today
06-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Video: Ranking UFC's 10 two-division champions from best to worst
There aren't many truly exclusive clubs in the UFC after more than 30 years of existence, but the double champ club remains one of them. More than 100 different fighters have had a UFC title wrapped around their waist over the course of UFC history. That's difficult enough to do in itself, but the list gets significantly shaved down when separating those who went on to capture a belt in a second division. Only Randy Couture, B.J. Penn, Conor McGregor, Amanda Nunes, Georges St-Pierre, Daniel Cormier, Henry Cejudo, Alex Pereira, Jon Jones and, most recently, Ilia Topuria, have budged their way into the two-division champion list, and each have forged their own path to getting there. After claiming two of those belts in a three-fight stretch with knockout of Alexander Volkanovski and Charles Oliveira, some have argued Topuria's rise and in-cage performances are the most impressive of the group. Others argue he still has more work to do to entrench himself in the position like others who defended titles in multiple divisions. It makes ranking the 10 double champions a tricky task, but that's what former UFC and Bellator champion Eddie Alvarez and MMA Junkie senior reporter Mike Bohn attempted to do. Check out "The Bohnfire" podcast in the video above where Alvarez and Bohn rank all the UFC two-division champions with their individual criteria.
