Chael Sonnen during participation in the program 'Bad Guy, Good Guy'. Photo: YouTube Reproduction
Chael Sonnen emphasized that the escalation of Ilia Topuria to the lightweight category (70,3 kg) could reconfigure the scenario of title fights. In his words, a victory for the Georgian over Charles of the Bronx would put the undefeated in a position to challenge Islam makhachev, in a dispute that, according to him, 'may surpass the projection of Tom aspinall e Jon Jones' in the public interest.
“I would advocate that, but we won’t know until we get there. It’s my projection, but I firmly believe that if Ilia Topuria “If we face Charles first, Ilia vs. Islam could challenge Aspinall vs. Jones (in the public interest) and possibly surpass them. There are a lot of ifs… A lot of water can flow under the bridge, but I stand by what I said. Ilia vs. Islam does not have to happen now,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel.
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The former middleweight (83,9kg) title challenger stressed, however, that Charles would only accept the fight if Topuria won the division title. The Brazilian, who already reigned at lightweight between 2021 and 2022, maintained his stance of prioritizing high-impact fights.
The tension between the fighters grew stronger after some heated statements. Do Bronx expressed confidence in a possible knockout over the Georgian, who responded with irony, calling the Brazilian a 'mere challenger' and recalling his defeats in the UFC. The Brazilian responded to the provocations and advised his opponent to 'approach the new category with humility'.
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