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6 days ago
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Khamzat Chimaev's fittingness has been debated for years, and erstwhile UFC airy heavyweight challenger Chael Sonnen gave an absorbing examination connected the subject.
The undefeated Chimaev (14-0) volition onslaught the middleweight loop held by Dricus Du Plessis (23-2) connected August 16 successful Chicago. Many analysts and fighters foretell a akin script – if Chimaev doesn't decorativeness the combat early, the South African volition overpower him successful the aboriginal rounds. Sonnen disagrees.
“Chimaev has to interruption him down. He can’t conscionable spell into an unfastened speech anywhere. There’s a large question astir his fitness, but I don’t cognize if that’s fair. We’ve seen Chimaev get tired, but Fedor Emelianenko got bushed too, truthful helium ne'er stopped. It didn’t dilatory him down. It’s the aforesaid with Hamzat Chimaev. I don’t deliberation it’s just to question his fittingness – he’s got a batch of vigor and helium uses it to the max, which is the point. That’s going to beryllium tested and we’ll spot if that’s true. But I springiness Dricus a batch much recognition than erstwhile Chimaev bushed Robert Whittaker and erstwhile the combat was archetypal announced,” Sonnen told MMA Junkie.
Division is stronger than ever
The erstwhile two-time UFC middleweight rubric challenger emphasizes that this part is stronger than ever and that the victor shouldn’t conscionable beryllium rewarded with a title.
“When I had my streak, I had nary equal, I didn’t suffer fights, rounds, oregon moments successful fights. But I person to accidental that the middleweight part wasn’t astir arsenic beardown backmost then. We had 1 oregon 2 fighters who would beryllium successful the apical 5 today, possibly 3 for the apical 10. I’ve ne'er seen the middleweight part this tough. I ever thought Chimaev was the best, due to the fact that we were ever told that, but past this feline Dricus came along… It’s a slayer turn. Whoever comes retired of this combat not lone wears the belt, but they request to propulsion him precocious up the P4P ladder. If you’re the middleweight champion, and it’s deeper than ever, that has to beryllium taken into relationship – though I don’t deliberation that’s going to happen, due to the fact that radical don’t recognize however brutal this part is now,” concluded Sonnen.
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