UFC commentator and former fighter Chael Sonnen not only thinks Conor McGregor will get a chance at the lightweight belt soon, but that he’ll cause serious problems for the champ. On his YouTube channel, Sonnen explained that Conor McGregor’s striking will pose a big problem for Charles Oliveira.
“If there’s anybody that Conor is likely to beat to become the world champion, it is the sitting champion right now. Charles Oliveira-Conor McGregor is a fascinating matchup. It is very problematic for Oliveira.
Chael Sonnen Says Conor McGregor is “Very Problematic” for Charles 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.”
Sonnen makes this assertion despite McGregor’s abysmal record at lightweight. McGregor, to date, has won only one fight at 155 pounds, albeit his lightweight debut against then-champion Eddie Alvarez. Since then, his only victory came at 170 pounds against Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.
At 155, he lost to Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2018, and to Dustin Poirier, twice, in 2021. In the second Poirier loss, McGregor broke his leg, and has been sidelined ever since. Considering that Poirier lost to Oliveira via rear naked choke only a month ago, it’s hard to see how a man who lost to Poirier stands a serious chance against Charles Oliveira.
The difference, says Chael Sonnen, is McGregor’s elite striking. “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.”
Conor McGregor, of course, is still recovering from his broken leg. It’s more likely that we see Oliveira defend his lightweight title against Justin Gaethje first. Gaethje has been clamoring for his chance at UFC gold ever since Khabib Nurmagomedov vacated the title, and won’t be pleased if “The Notorious” gets to jump the queue and take on Oliveira ahead of him.
For his part, Charles Oliveira has expressed an interest in taking a “money fight” against McGregor, who remains the UFC’s biggest star. Any McGregor appearance is guaranteed to sell massive pay-per-views, so the UFC won’t want to keep him away from the Octagon for too long.
Do you think McGregor is as big of a problem for Charles Oliveira as Chael Sonnen says? Let us know in the comments.
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