March 28, 2025 3:30 pm ET
Chael Sonnen doesn’t perceive why Khamzat Chimaev vs. Dricus Du Plessis hasn’t been booked but.
Chimaev (14-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) was touted because the No. 1 middleweight contender after running through former champion Robert Whittaker for a first-round submission at UFC 308 this previous October.
Middleweight champion Du Plessis’ most up-to-date title protection got here in a rematch win over Sean Strickland at UFC 312. Nevertheless, previous to the battle, Du Plessis (23-2 MMA, 9-0 UFC) admitted that he would have fairly fought Chimaev as a substitute.
So Sonnen desires to know why hasn’t that battle been booked but?
“He was a media darling like solely two others had ever executed: Conor McGregor and Ronda Rousey,” Sonnen advised Submission Radio of Chimaev. “The third media darling of our trade: He was purchasing, he was shopping for groceries with a cart, and this did a whole bunch and 1000’s of views on YouTube. He was driving by way of visitors with Darren Until – it did over one million views on YouTube. This man couldn’t go mistaken. The world beloved him, and the one unintended piece of promoting that they occurred to be given is that he was preventing each different week, at a distinct weight class, in opposition to anyone he wished with no grievance.
“Now it’s the precise reverse. You possibly can’t get an interview with him. We don’t even know for positive what nation he’s residing in. It truly is a peculiar factor. He’s very clearly the No.1 contender and there’s someone in that area of the world with some affect that very a lot desires to be sure that that occurs, however why isn’t it taking place? DDP wish to know when that is taking place. The entire remainder of the division have acknowledged that Chimaev has earned the best, however when?”
Sonnen thinks Chimaev’s title-fight needs to be introduced as quickly as doable to present readability for the remainder of the division.
“It’s getting to a degree that it’s annoying,” Sonnen mentioned. “Any time a man, notably a non-champion, holds up a complete division, now we have an issue. … You’re going to crush the drive of the whole room.”
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