Chael Sonnen claims UFC could've booked Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor rematch with "the right number"

Chael Sonnen (inset) talks about why Khabib Nurmagomedov (left) didn
Chael Sonnen (inset) talks about why Khabib Nurmagomedov (left) didn't rematch Conor McGregor (right). [Images courtesy: Getty]

Chael Sonnen believes one of the biggest rematches in UFC history never happened because the promotion stayed locked into the wrong weight class. The former middleweight contender says that Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor 2 could have been booked if the UFC had moved the fight from lightweight to welterweight.

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Nurmagomedov retired in 2020 with a perfect 29-0 record, citing a promise to his mother after the passing of his father. However, many believe his career was also marked by brutal weight cuts to reach the 155-pound limit. Sonnen suggests that the toll of repeatedly making that cut shortened his time in the sport and that a higher weight class could have kept him active.

The UFC has long resisted adding a 165-pound division, which Sonnen believes could have been the ideal compromise for a fight between Nurmagomedov and McGregor. Speaking in a recent episode of the WiseNuts podcast, Sonnen said:

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"The reason we didn’t get Khabib vs. Conor 2 is they didn’t look at the right number. If they would have made that 170 pounds as opposed to 155 pounds, they would have gotten that fight. They just got faced with this with Islam. It’s like you can cut Islam’s career like you did Khabib’s, or you can let him go to 170, but he’s not gonna beat that scale again and again. That’s the hardest part of the sport."
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Check out Chael Sonnen's comments below:

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UFC legend reshares theory about Conor McGregor’s failed 2024 UFC comeback that angered the Irishman

Chael Sonnen is still unconvinced by the official story surrounding Conor McGregor’s canceled return last year.

McGregor has not fought since breaking his leg against Dustin Poirier in July 2021. After a long recovery, he was set to face Michael Chandler at UFC 303 in June 2024, but the bout collapsed weeks before the event.

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While McGregor blamed a broken toe and even posted pictures online, Sonnen has repeatedly floated a different explanation. Speaking in a recent episode of ESPN MMA's Good Guy/ Bad Guy, he suggested that McGregor may have entered rehab ahead of the fight.

Sonnen argued that the idea of a fighter who once finished a round with a snapped leg withdrawing over a broken toe seemed implausible:

"When he went to Dublin [for the UFC 303 press conference], there’s been a number of rumors as to why he pulled out. The leading one that I believe is that he had entered rehab. If you don’t believe that, then you believe the press release they put out, which is he pulled out for a discolored pinky toe that may or may not be broken. For a guy that was so tough he’s got a snapped leg in two and he calls Joe Rogan over [for an interview at UFC 264]… I have a hard time imagining he’d miss a press conference for a discolored pinky toe."

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Edited by Abhishek Nambiar
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