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The always-vocal Chael Sonnen has revealed who he believes will come out on top in the upcoming rubber match between the 'Notorious' Conor McGregor and Dustin 'The Diamond' Poirier.
Chael Sonnen, a former UFC middleweight and light heavyweight, has gone on to become one of the most respected voices in MMA media. He often gives his predictions for big fights, without a second thought about what backlash he may receive for the opinion he shares.
Chael Sonnen's UFC 264 prediction
Speaking with ESPN's Joe Fortenbaugh and Tyler Fulghum, Chael Sonnen revealed that whilst he initially backed the Irishman, he is now leaning towards Dustin Poirier.
However, this is not due to anything he has seen from Poirier, but the lack of what he has seen from McGregor. Chael Sonnen stated the following:
"I'm actually picking Poirier in this. I don't love the way Conor's prepared. I don't love that he's not doing media. I know it's designed to look at though he's a little bit for more focused. Look, there's something you get when you're beating your chest and screaming from the rooftops your the best in the world. It's not to get in your opponents' heads, it's to convince yourself."
That is not to say that Chael Sonnen doesn't believe that McGregor has a shot in this fight. The very nature of MMA means that it is near impossible to ever be fully confident in a pick.
Sonnen believes McGregor does have a chance, though only in round one. He stated:
"Not only does Conor need to win in the first round, he needs to win with a knockout which is used primarily with his left hand. He also only sets the left hand up one way, he waits for you to throw, he rolls, he comes back. It's a great attack but over time guys have learnt. Particularly an opponent like Dustin, who's already been in there with him twice."
Chael Sonnen seems quite solidly set on backing team Poirier. It's a stance that makes sense considering it was Poirier who knocked out McGregor just six months ago.
One of the driving motivations that has fans so excited to watch this trilogy will be to see if McGregor has been able to sufficiently fill the holes in his game that Poirier so expertly exploited in January.
