Rumored Khamzat Chimaev, Jared Cannonier fight at UFC 294 labelled as a ‘Little bit dissapointing’
Amid rumors of a potential middleweight pairing between the unbeaten, Khamzat Chimaev and recent big-winner, Jared Cannonier at UFC 294 in October on ‘Fight Island’, sport analyst and Octagon veteran, Chael Sonnen has labelled the pairing a “little disappointing” – given the lack of build-up to a potential pairing.
This week, speculation began to mount regarding a potential clash of one-time middleweight title challenger, Cannonier and the undefeated, Khamzat Chimaev – with the latter’s coach Instagram Stories dissected, which appears to show him studying tape of Cannonier’s recent fight against Marvin Vettori earlier this summer.
Khamzat Chimaev vs. Jared Cannonier still described as a “really good” fight
However, while a pairing between the duo has yet to be announced by the organization, Sonnen, who has speculated on the rumored pairing, insisted that while the fight itself was “really good” – he can’t help but be disappointed by the clash, however.
“I’m hearing rumors that it’s gonna be Jared Cannonier vs. (Khamzat) Chimaev,” Chael Sonnen told reporter, Helen Yee during a recent interview.. “I believe those rumors even though they’re a little bit disappointing. I think you have a really good fight there… But as far as the buildup and some of the fun that we could have had, it’s a miss.”
“He (Khamzat Chimaev) was supposed to fight Paulo Costathen it was rumored that he was gonna fight Kamaru Usman, and now it’s rumored he’s gonna fight Jared Cannonier, so generally when you have a number one contender fight, it’s not about go win, it’s about go beat that guy,” Sonnen explained. “Now it’s been revealed to us… that it doesn’t matter who the guy is and frankly, that’s weird.” (Transcribed by Sportskeeda)
Sidelined since co-headlining UFC 279 back in September of last year, Chechen-born contender, Chimaev improved to 12-0 as a professional, submitting Kevin Holland with a dominant first round D’Arce choke win over the Riverside striker.
