'Aldo is the least attractive UFC champion and that is 100% his fault', says Sonnen

Sonnen (photo) gave Aldo tips. Photo: Disclosure/UFC

It's not very rare to see José Aldo publicly complaining about the salary he receives from the UFC, even though he is the organization's featherweight champion. That's why, Chael Sonnen, former challenger for the middleweight and light heavyweight titles and well known for his attitudes outside the octagon, gave the Brazilian some tips to increase his notoriety among MMA fans.

Sonnen said he admires the Brazilian's performance inside the octagon, but noted that Aldo leaves some opportunities aside by not focusing on his development outside of fights.

"José Aldo is too good. I personally consider him number two in the world, behind Jon Jones. Aldo could even be considered the best, as the featherweight division is much more difficult than the light heavyweight division. The point is that Aldo is the champion who earns the least in the UFC. He's the least attractive champion, and that's 100% his fault. He complains about money constantly, but it's on his cards pay-per-view like the rest of the champions. He simply doesn’t do anything to advance his career”, said Sonnen, in an interview with the North American website “Bloody Elbow”.

The former North American fighter said that one way to gain expression in MMA is to participate in big cards. "If I were José Aldo, I would have picked a fight the moment they announced Cain Velazquez x Fabricio Werdum. I would have gone to the press and challenged whoever it was. I would have taken advantage of the big sale Cain will bring. This concept I said is very obvious, but it seems to me to be something foreign to him. This is basic. That's what I did when I challenged Rashad evans for UFC 167, because I benefited from one of the big sales of pay-per-view in the year with Georges St Pierre in the main fight”, he explained.

Aldo's next challenge within the UFC will be on October 25th, in Rio de Janeiro, when he will defend his belt in a rematch against Chad Mendes.