If Conor McGregor is to become a UFC champion again, Chael Sonnen believes he has the best chance to do so against Charles Oliveira.
McGregor is currently on a two-fight losing streak and healing up his broken leg but when he returns, he could very well get a title shot. He has campaigned to fight Oliveira, while the champ has also said he wants the Irishman next and will wait for him.
Although on paper, it appears to be a tough matchup for McGregor due to the ground game, Sonnen believes the Irishman has the power to end the fight quickly.
“If there’s anybody that Conor is likely to beat to become the world champion, it is the sitting champion, right now,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. “Charles Oliveira-Conor McGregor is a fascinating matchup. It is very problematic for Oliveira. Conor McGregor is as good of a striker as this sport has ever seen. Oliveira is a very dynamic striker who showed some real wrestling prowess in a couple of contests but in other contests didn’t.
“Conor can handle himself on the ground. Conor can take care of himself on the feet. The in-between has been a problem with very high-level guys,” Sonnen continued about McGregor. “So now you start to have a question of, is Oliveira a really high-level guy? Is he that high enough of a level guy? I don’t have the answers to these questions. I’m just sharing for you, however, this goes, the fans are going to get something very special.”
Chael Sonnen certainly has a point that Conor McGregor’s power is a major factor in the potential fight as he can turn anyone’s lights off. We have also seen Oliveira get dropped multiple times in his past two fights which could make the fight against McGregor intriguing.
Chael Sonnen Believes Conor McGregor Is ‘Very Problematic’ For Charles Oliveira
Yet, many fans believe Gaethje should get the title shot but as Sonnen says, if Gaethje was the champ, he too would want to fight McGregor next, not Oliveira.
“If Justin was in the same position, what would Justin do?” Sonnen said. “Would Justin go for the big money fight or would Justin pay attention to the integrity and adhere to that of the rankings? Justin would go for the big money fight. Now, Justin would give this other guy an opportunity too, he’s just gonna have to wait an extra three months. … What the champion wants does matter, particularly when it lines up with the biggest star in the sport. If the champion wants what the biggest star in the sport wants, it makes sense that you can bring these things together.”
