MMA analyst Chael Sonnen doesn’t see much interest in the next UFC light heavyweight title fight. UFC 282 is set to be headlined by a rematch between champion Jiri Prochazka and the man he dethroned, Glover Teixeira, but the event is overshadowed by the looming presence of former 205-pound champ Jon Jones’ widely rumored heavyweight debut. Sonnen explained the situation on his YouTube channel.
“Jon Jones is not going to be fighting Stipe at T-Mobile Arena in the UFC on Dec. 10. There’s no headlines out this week about that card. There is a world title fight that is going to be established that night, it was the most resisted world championship fight. It is the most resisted rematch in UFC history. The promotion did not want to make it, and you guys didn’t ask them to, and the fighters sure as hell did nothing.
Sonnen: Prochazka vs Teixeira 2 “Most Resisted Rematch in UFC History”
These are my friends by the way. I just talked to Glover. I do not stab him in the back, but this is what happened. There is a world title fight that has not been discussed at all, but Jon Jones not being there was.”
The buzz around Jon Jones, who has not fought since January 2020, has significantly obscured the light heavyweight division in his absence. Jiri Prochazka has maintained that he plans to put together a more complete, dominant performance in the rematch against Glover Teixeira.
Despite all this, Chael Sonnen knows perhaps better than anyone that pure martial arts mastery isn’t always what sells fights. It’s about the stories, the personalities, and the excitement surrounding an event that gets the fans interested. Sonnen directly addressed fight fans dismissing the world title fight, pointing out the rest of the light heavyweight landscape as it stands.
“Here I am talking about a world championship fight that none of you are interested in and that the promotion did everything they could [not to make]. Get Anthony Smith that W, get [Magomed] Ankalaev over with the audience, maybe he could cut a promo.
They did everything that they could to not make the damn match, but here we are. It’s an awesome fight, it’s two killer competitors. We can play that game. But I played that game before but none of you clicked on it, none of you wanted to hear.”
Are you looking forward to Prochazka vs Teixeira, or is Chael Sonnen right about this UFC headliner? Let us know in the comments.
