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MMA legend Chael Sonnen has weighed in on the much-discussed fight between Jorge Masvidal and Conor McGregor.
Chael Sonnen has addressed the Masvidal vs. McGregor dream fight and reminded the MMA community about how this high-profile feud has been forgotten as of late.
Chael Sonnen believes Jorge Masvidal is in the most unique position in MMA history
In a video posted on his official YouTube channel, Chael Sonnen asserted that BMF champion Jorge Masvidal is in the most unique position in MMA history.
Chael Sonnen noted that there have been a few notable MMA superstars, such as Ronda Rousey, who could turn every fight they compete in into a box office success, regardless of who their opponent is.
Sonnen added, however, that Jorge Masvidal’s current position in the MMA world is a bit different than that of Rousey and other high-profile stars.
The American Gangster suggested that Jorge Masvidal has enough star power to sell out arenas and draw a large number of PPV buys regardless of the opponent. However, Masvidal has five different opponents with whom he’s currently entangled in unique storylines.
Chael Sonnen revealed that the five opponents in question are: Kamaru Usman, Colby Covington, Nate Diaz, Nick Diaz, and Conor McGregor.
Sonnen indicated that Masvidal is the focal point connecting all these storylines. He added that due to Masvidal’s star power and these storylines, a potential fight against any of these five opponents would most definitely be a box office success.
In fact, Sonnen opined that Masvidal could fight any of these five opponents in any order. He added that each one of the fights would be a huge hit amongst the fans and draw incredible PPV numbers.
Chael Sonnen explained the storyline between UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal. The latter stepped in on extremely short notice to fight him and still managed to be competitive in the unanimous decision loss to Usman.
Sonnen added that Masvidal has likely learned a lot from their first fight, and has even noted how he’d make the necessary adjustments to beat Usman in the rematch.
Chael Sonnen also emphasized that there’s the grudge match between Jorge Masvidal and Colby Covington. Sonnen highlighted how Masvidal and Covington were close friends, teammates at ATT (American Top Team), and roommates.
Sonnen noted that Covington doesn’t even train at ATT anymore. He believes that the feud between Masvidal and Covington is not something that’s manufactured for the media, but is actually as real as it gets.
Additionally, Sonnen said that the controversial doctor’s stoppage TKO loss that Nate Diaz suffered at the hands of Jorge Masvidal also has an interesting storyline behind it.
Nate Diaz had later revealed that he planned on taking his attack up a notch in rounds four and five, as he thought Jorge Masvidal was fading. However, he couldn’t do it because the fight was stopped between the third and fourth rounds due to the cuts Nate suffered.
Chael Sonnen noted that there’s also the storyline between Jorge Masvidal and Nick Diaz. Nick had stated that he’d like to beat Masvidal, especially after his younger brother Nate’s loss.
Furthermore, Chael Sonnen pointed out that the storyline of the "big brother" coming to beat up the individual who hurt his younger brother is something that everyone can relate to.
Chael Sonnen believes the MMA world made a mistake by forgetting the Jorge Masvidal vs. Conor McGregor feud
When Jorge Masvidal beat Nate Diaz to win the symbolic BMF title back in November 2019, the MMA world was rife with speculation that Masvidal’s next fight would be against none other than Conor McGregor.
Masvidal is best known for competing at lightweight and welterweight, whereas McGregor has fought at featherweight, lightweight, and welterweight.
Conor McGregor had strongly suggested that he, and not Masvidal, was the true BMF of the MMA world. Masvidal responded by challenging McGregor to fight him, with most fans and experts expecting the bout to take place welterweight.
Chael Sonnen had a rather intriguing take on this feud.
“And then I wanna talk about the Conor (McGregor matchup) because this had some major steam at one point, and it seems to have all gone away. But the whole reason that Conor ever came back against Cowboy (Donald Cerrone) and bumped up to 170 all had to do with Masvidal. Conor’s entire motivation for going to 170 and saying, ‘Here I am. What’s up now’, had to do with Masvidal.
“Dana White was in California going to dinner when some guy with TMZ stuck a camera in his face and asked him if he would ever make the fight: Masvidal vs. Conor. And Dana said, ‘No I wouldn’t make the fight. Masvidal is too big for him.’ Fade to black, roll the credits, Dana went inside and had his dinner. That comment infuriated Conor.”
Chael Sonnen explained that Dana White’s comments led Conor McGregor to prove a point by returning to welterweight and beating Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone, ahead of the potential fight against Jorge Masvidal.
Chael Sonnen believes that Conor McGregor wanted to prove that Jorge Masvidal isn’t too big for him and that he’s more than capable of beating him.
“That’s the story, and that was red-hot for a while. That was red-hot and proven by Conor who went up to 170, and did it with success, and didn’t look small in the process. And then all of a sudden we just quit talking about that. I don’t know why. I don’t know why anybody would let the jets and the steam of a potential Conor vs. Masvidal fight die down. It was a miss. It was a miss by both of those guys. It was a miss by you: the fans. It was a miss by the media. We all wanna see the fight; why’d we let that go?” (*H/T Sportskeeda for the transcription)
What are your views on Chael Sonnen’s statements regarding the dream matchup between Jorge Masvidal and Conor McGregor? Sound off in the comments.
