"That division just got a hell of a lot more interesting" - Chael Sonnen compares effect of Kamaru Usman leaving his weight class to Jon Jones' absence from light heavyweight

Chael Sonnen is in favor of Kamaru Usman leaving the 170-pound weight class as he believes it would be a good thing for the division.

In a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, 'The American Gangster' drew parallels between Jon Jones and the current welterweight king.

According to Sonnen, if the dominant Usman leaves his division and moves up, the welterweight shark tank will get more interesting. The former two-division title challenger feels the same thing happened to the light heavyweight division following Jones' absence:

"If you take Usman out of 170, the guy who's lapped the division, that division just got a hell of a lot more interesting and we've just seen this tested. When Jon Jones left 205 pounds, 205 pounds was dull. As soon as Jon Jones left, boy, it's not dull anymore, is it? It's back to a coveted division. Because the competition's a little closer, competition's a little bit more real."

Watch the full video below:

The points Sonnen makes might have some merit. Since Jones' departure from the light heavyweight division, there have been three new champions. Furthermore, as of now, they only have one successful title defense between them.

So, one can say that the 205-pound division has gotten more exciting as the title fights have become more competitive and unpredictable in nature.

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Kamaru Usman wants to skip a division and move up to light heavyweight

Kamaru Usman wants to move up in weight class and go for double-champion status. However, 'The Nigerian Nightmare' is not eyeing the middleweight division, which is currently being ruled by his friend Israel Adesanya. Usman wants to skip the division and fight as a light heavyweight.

Retired MMA referee 'Big' John McCarthy is not a fan of Usman's idea of moving to 205 lbs. He thinks it might be too big of a weight jump for 'The Nigerian Nightmare'. During an episode of his WEIGHING IN podcast, McCarthy said:

“I don’t wanna see him do it. I like Kamaru Usman. I think Kamaru Usman’s a phenomenal fighter. I think 170 pounds is a great weight class for him, and 205 is too big.”

Watch McCarthy talk about the topic below:

Usman's plans to fight in another weight class will have to wait as he is currently scheduled to defend his welterweight belt against Leon Edwards at UFC 278.