Chael Sonnen Questions Justin Gaethje Being Tougher For Khabib Than Tony Ferguson

Chael Sonnen is not sure if he believes Justin Gaethje can offer a tougher fight to Khabib Nurmagomedov over Tony Ferguson.

Nurmagomedov defends his lightweight title against Ferguson in the UFC 249 headliner on April 18. It’s a fight many in the combat sports world are looking forward to as they believe Ferguson has the best shot at defeating Nurmagomedov.

Dustin Poirier, however, disagrees. Poirier suffered a third-round submission defeat to Nurmagomedov in their title fight back at UFC 242 in September. And “The Diamond” made headlines recently when asked about the upcoming title fight by stating that he felt Nurmagomedov would beat Ferguson. He notably added that he felt it was Gaethje, not Ferguson, who had the best shot of troubling Nurmagomedov.

It’s an interesting opinion and one that must be given weight especially as Poirier has faced both Gaethje and Nurmagomedov.

However, Sonnen is not convinced as he wishes Poirier dived deeper into the topic. That said, he acknowledged having Gaethje in the conversation in the first place is a testament to “The Highlight” and his ability.

“I don’t know that I believe that Gaethje, while I do believe is a top contender, I do not know that I fully believe that Gaethje can give Khabib a harder fight than Tony’s about to give him,” Sonnen said (via BJ Penn). “But the mere fact that we’re discussing it is a compliment to Justin, for sure. Tony, former champion, whether it’s interim champion or not, he’s a former champion. Khabib, current champion. So the fact that we’re now discussing Gaethje, I think that it’s very compelling, I think that it’s very relevant.”

Gaethje is on a three-fight winning streak and ideally, would be next in line to face the winner of Nurmagomedov vs. Ferguson. However, with Conor McGregor in the mix, it looks like he will have to wait some time.

Who do you think offers the toughest task for Nurmagomedov?