Chael Sonnen believes that Charles Oliveira as UFC lightweight champion is Conor McGregor’s best chance at reclaiming gold.
Although Oliveira (32-8 MMA, 20-8 UFC) has silenced doubters by finishing both Michael Chandler and Dustin Poirier in his two title bouts, they didn’t come without a bit of adversity.
Oliveira was dropped in Round 1 against Chandler and Poirier, but he rallied to finish both men. With McGregor declaring that he’s next in line for a title shot and Oliveira entertaining him as an option, Sonnen thinks McGregor is dangerous enough to dethrone the Brazilian, despite being 1-3 in his past four fights.
“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. 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.”
McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC), who’s targeting a summer return, is one of the most prolific knockout artists in the UFC. His power won him both the UFC featherweight and lightweight titles back in 2015 and 2016, but the Irish superstar has struggled in the octagon as of late. McGregor is coming off back-to-back stoppage losses to Poirier, breaking his leg in the trilogy bout at UFC 264, which prompted doctors to waive the fight off at the end of Round 1.
UFC president Dana White confirmed that Justin Gaethje should be next for Oliveira, but it seems the champion is seriously considering taking the big money fight in McGregor if he’s given the option to select his next challenger.
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