Chael Sonnen makes bold U-turn on Kamaru Usman's chances against Canelo Alvarez

Chael Sonnen was popularly against the idea of Kamaru Usman locking horns with Canelo Alvarez inside the squared circle. However, he recently revealed that one short interaction with the UFC welterweight kingpin completely changed his take on the same.

In a recent video that he uploaded to his YouTube channel, Chael Sonnen offered fans some insight into Usman's prospects in a crossover fight against Alvarez. He revealed that Usman, while teaching him and Henry Cejudo a move, impressed him with his speed and athleticism.

Sonnen described the moment Usman threw a punch to his face, but stopped his hand right before impact. He admitted that he was shocked by Usman's speed and control to be able to stop his hand at will.

The fact that Usman had such agility and control was all 'The American Gangster' needed to endorse his fight against Canelo Alvarez. He further expressed confidence in the Nigerian's ability to win against Alvarez:

"Again [the move] was so [fast] I had to see it one more time. He showed it another time. So it was three things, a total of three seconds, and I'm exaggerating time. I knew everything I needed to know. Kamaru Usman can go with Canelo Alvarez. Who's a bigger hater on MMA in boxing than me? Who tells you MMA has no chance more than me? Kamaru Usman can go with Canelo Alvarez."

Check out Chael Sonnen's assessment of Usman's chances against Alvarez below:

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Kamaru Usman draws inspiration from Muhammad Ali to go up against Canelo Alvarez

While in conversation with MMA Underground's John Morgan, Kamaru Usman recently cited Muhammad Ali's win against George Foreman as an example of why fighters shouldn't count themselves out.

He argued that Ali was able to dispatch a young George Foreman to lay claim to the heavyweight championship during their iconic 'Rumble in the Jungle' clash by knocking Foreman out.

Similarly, 'The Nigerian Nightmare' argued that he has faith in himself to be able to offer Alvarez a tough fight and potentially emerge triumphant:

"Who thought Muhammad Ali was going to beat George Foreman in that fashion and the way that Foreman was disposing of everyone. So, you know, it is what it is. As an athlete if you can believe in yourself to go in there, because I have to be the one who steps in there, I have to be the one who takes the punches from him. So if I believe that I could give him a run for his money for as long as it lasts, then I'm going to do that."

Check out Usman's full interaction with John Morgan below: