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Former UFC middleweight and light heavyweight title challenger Chael Sonnen has gone on record to state that UFC fans shouldn't let the result of Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier's fight in January impact their predictions for the upcoming trilogy match.
McGregor was convincingly defeated by Poirier when the two men faced off earlier this year. 'The Diamond' used debilatating leg kicks to limit McGregor's movement before finishing the fight with strikes.
Chael Sonnen believes ring rust played a part in McGregor's loss
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chael Sonnen stated that he doesn't believe the rematch was any indicator of how the trilogy fight will go. He had the following to say-
"You can't just look at their fight and go 'well, there's a gap there and Dustin's certainly gotten better and Conor's not the same. You can't do that. There was a lot going into that fight. Conor had been out for ever. He touches down one time in January, locks up with Cerrone. But it was forty seconds, twenty seconds. I don't think you can count that. I'm talking about ring rust, I'm talking about not being in there."
Chael Sonnen also points to the fact that McGregor has previously shown that he is able to go away and adapt to his game. Sonnen said-
"If anybody has shown us through history that they can adapt, that they can learn and that they can come back against the same opponent and get a different outcome it's Conor."
Chael Sonnen, of course, referenced the two fights that took place between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz. McGregor was dominated in the first fight, but came back with a much improved gameplan when the pair ran it back.
"Nate walked through him. Walked through him and did it in seven minutes. Conor learned, he adapted, he changed and he came back... It was close, it was competitive and it was fun as hell to watch. But it was a different outcome and Conor deserves a level of credit for that." Chael Sonnen said.
The rubber match is now only weeks away. Poirier vs McGregor 3 will headline UFC 264 on July 10. The event also features a welterweight matchup between Gilbert Burns and Stephen Thompson, as well as a heavyweight brawl between Tai Tuivasa and Greg Hardy.
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