Chael Sonnen suggests Alexander Volkanovski combat at light-weight to keep away from ‘gatekeeper’ danger

Chael Sonnen thinks Alexander Volkanovski dangers harming his legacy if he competes for the UFC featherweight title subsequent.

Volkanovski (26-4 MMA, 13-3 UFC) misplaced the belt at 145 kilos to Ilia Topuria by knockout at UFC 298 in February – his second straight knockout loss. Volkanovski initially entertained the concept of taking a combat at light-weight subsequent however has opted to wait for the winner of Topuria vs. Max Holloway, which headlines UFC 308 on Oct. 26.

Sonnen disagrees and thinks if Volkanovski fights Charles Oliveira, for instance, at light-weight, he has nothing to lose. But when he fails to regain his featherweight title, it is going to set him again in an enormous means.

“Volk nonetheless desires to come back again. The place will we need to put him?” Sonnen mentioned on his YouTube channel. “I definitely wouldn’t disrespect him, and I don’t imagine the UFC would. If he got here in and mentioned, ‘I’m a title shot man, that’s it,’ I imagine they’d say OK. However he doesn’t need to combat anyone particular. … He simply desires the title again. That may be a totally different motivation. I received’t query it. I’m talking for me, as a fan. I might relatively a match, a selected match. You need to know what I need for Volk? I need him at ’55, and I don’t need to speak about titles proper now.

“I need to see an superior match. I need to see Volk and Charles Oliveira at 155 kilos. I additionally suppose outcome-wise, I feel you land in the next spot whether or not you beat Charles otherwise you don’t beat Charles. You go right into a championship spot and also you get beat, that can by no means return. That hope and dream is gone eternally – eternally. There’s not a 36-year-old that’s even returning to be given the chance. It’s to the purpose the place except you need to be a gatekeeper of some regard, right here’s your strolling papers. It will be that extreme in a title combat. That might not be the case at 155 vs. Charles.”

Volkanovski’s first combat at light-weight within the octagon was towards champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 284. Volkanovski pushed Makhachev to the brink, however finally fell quick in an in depth determination loss. He ran issues again with Makhachev on quick discover at UFC 294, struggling a Spherical 1 knockout loss.