Chael Sonnen: GOAT with a caution sign? Chael Sonnen says Jon Jones is the wrong role model

Chael Sonnen faced Jon Jones for the light heavyweight championship back in 2013 and sustained a first-round submission loss. 'The American Gangster' shared his honest opinion on Jones being taken as a role model.

In a discussion on The Good Guy/Bad Guy podcast on ESPN, Sonnen and Daniel Cormier critically examined Jon Jones' legacy — not just as a fighter, but as a role model. While many see Jones as the G.O.A.T, Sonnen warned young athletes not to follow his path. He said:

“Every young aspiring athlete — do not copy Jon Jones. You can’t take years off, go on long vacations, or leave your coach and expect the same success. This sport demands consistency, and Jones’ path isn’t the one to follow.”

He added:

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“Despite all his mistakes and time away, that ‘old man partying in Thailand’ still might beat anyone he faces. If Jon fights Tom Aspinall, he should be the favorite — no doubt about it.”

Cormier added that Jones’ previous comebacks were mostly against older or less elite opponents, pointing out that this upcoming fight would be different because Jones will face a younger, top-level fighter, Tom Aspinall.

Check out Chael Sonnen's comments below (3:31):

Chael Sonnen gets real about Ilia Topuria’s quest for three-division championship

Chael Sonnen recently gave his opinion on Ilia Topuria’s plans to win championships in three different UFC weight classes. ‘El Matador’ was aiming for a big fight with the current lightweight champion Islam Makhachev to win his second title.

Now, Topuria is scheduled to fight Charles Oliveira for the soon-to-be-vacant lightweight title at UFC 317 on June 28. This happened after UFC president Dana White confirmed that Makhachev will move up to welterweight.

In a recent episode of ESPN’s Good Guy/Bad Guy with Daniel Cormier, Sonnen shared his doubts about Topuria’s goal to become a three-division champ. He said:

"The problem is when Ilia Topuria walked away from '45 [pound] and behind closed doors got a guaranteed title fight, he should have cashed in at 170 right then. Nobody ever skips a weight class, and excuse me, '45 and '55—you guys weigh the same thing."

He added:

"I am so tired of these '45 pounders and '55 pounders arguing about who's bigger. You guys weigh the same; it's the same thing. It's 10 pounds. The move was to do what Conor McGregor, our former '45 champion, did. He went up to 170, he skipped '55. He went from '45 when he took on [Nate] Diaz at '70."

Check out Chael Sonnen's comments below (20:30):

About the author

A B. Tech in electrical engineering, Dabeer began his professional career in 2022 with Vairuhl LLC. Dabeer turned into an MMA fan after watching Nick Diaz’s one-round barnburner with Paul Daley in Strikeforce in 2011. His favorite fighter is Tony Ferguson, whom Dabeer loves for his skills and personality. However, ‘El Cucuy’ does not figure in his top-five MMA fighters of all time, with Jon Jones, Demetrious Johnson, Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva, and Khabib Nurmagomedov making that list.
Dabeer is of the opinion that MMA has supplanted boxing as the world’s premier combat sport, though he feels that UFC fighters in general are underpaid. This diehard MMA fan also believes that titles should not change hands by disqualification.
Someone who keeps himself immersed in the sport at all times, Dabeer likes to use his knowledge and writing skills to create accurate and relevant information that provides value to the readers. His hobbies are playing football and reading books.

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Edited by Tejas Rathi