"I'm not confident anymore" - Chael Sonnen details why he made U-turn on Aljamain Sterling vs. T.J. Dillashaw prediction

As Aljamain Sterling prepares to make a successful defense of his bantamweight title later this month, Chael Sonnen has explained why he no longer believes this will be an easy matchup for T.J. Dillashaw.

The 36-year-old Dillashaw is looking to recapture his bantamweight strap after being forced to relinquish it back in 2019 when he was flagged by USADA for taking illegal substances. Since returning, the well-rounded athlete was involved in a must-watch clash against Cory Sandhagen, ultimately earning him a shot at UFC gold.

In a recent video on James Lynch's YouTube channel, Chael Sonnen admitted that he would have predicted T.J. Dillashaw to beat the champion a couple of years ago, but that opinion has since changed:

"I knew [Aljamain Sterling] was really good. I recognized him as the world champion when he went in there and fought [Petr] Yan—a lot of people were resisting that—I didn't know he was that good... I didn't realize Aljo was an absolute master of positions on the ground. Aljo on someone's back, I've never seen anything like it. Gordon Ryan isn't as good on somebody's back as Aljo is... A number of years ago, I would have told you T.J. [would win] and I'd have been real confident. I'm not confident anymore, this is a very close match."

Despite many believing Petr Yan was a trying test for Sterling, the NCAA Division I wrestler T.J. Dillashaw is arguably his toughest test to date. Not only does the challenger have elite footwork and high-level striking, he also possesses respected wrestling credentials and is quite possibly the most well-rounded fighter at 135lbs.

Check out what Chael Sonnen had to say about the bantamweight title fight in the video below:

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Aljamain Sterling's future as UFC bantamweight champion

Aljamain Sterling shed some doubt about his future as champion by insisting that he's willing to jump up to featherweight to give Merab Dvalishvili his chance at making history.

'The Machine' is a long-term friend and training partner of the bantamweight champion and could put his name in the record books by being the first-ever Georgian to hold gold in the UFC.

That would be an incredible gesture by Aljamain Sterling. However, 'Funk Master' is still early into his reign as the 135lbs king and will have to fight his way into title contention if he makes featherweight his new home.