Chael Sonnen: Khabib vs. Ferguson Winner Is Lightweight GOAT
The upcoming matchup between UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson has a lot at stake.
Not just the 155-pound title, but, possibly, the moniker of greatest lightweight of all time. Recently, mixed martial arts (MMA) legend Chael Sonnen was interviewed by Drake Riggs to get his thoughts on the matchup. Sonnen explained that it’s hard to argue the winner of the fight wouldn’t be the lightweight GOAT. (H/T BJPenn.com)
“It’s very hard to say that [the winner] wouldn’t be,” Sonnen said. “Khabib probably has that claim already, particularly if you narrow it down to lightweight. If you were to just say the greatest ever, Khabib still has an argument, but I don’t know if he would win it. When you’re 28-0 in any division, you claim that division, particularly when you’re the world champion, and he already got some heavy lifting out of the way on the way to the title.
“You go back and look at the names he beat… 10-8 rounds against guys. Two or three 10-8 rounds against [Edson] Barboza, just as an example. I mean, this guy is a hammer. But you are talking about Tony Ferguson.
“That’s whole ‘nother animal. He’ll attack you from the back, he’ll attack you on the walkout. You don’t know what Tony Ferguson’s going to do. I would never count him out. I think that your math is right. Whoever wins that fight is the best ever.”
Nurmagomedov and Ferguson will meet at UFC 249 from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on April 18. It’s a stylistic matchup MMA fans have been dying to see for years. Sonnen finds the bout hard to pick, but one thing is for sure, it will be competitive.
“It’s very hard to pick against Khabib with what you’ve seen,” Sonnen said. “And I must also share with you that I have a bias toward Tony because we are former teammates. I really do like Tony’s chances going into this, and I like them more and more as the fight gets closer.
“I think the Xs and Os are going to play out a bit. I’d like to hear who Tony is training with but also who’s doing the training. He went on Ariel Helwani’s show and made some comment about ‘we’re interviewing guy right now.’ Wait a minute. We don’t have a coach yet? Training partners?
“But you don’t know, Tony’s having fun out there half the time. I do think as that gets a little closer, it’ll get a little more exciting, but I think it’s very competitive, I can tell you that.”
Do you agree with Sonnen that the winner of Nurmagomedov vs. Ferguson will be the lightweight GOAT?
