Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker is considering a transfer to mild heavyweight, which is one thing Chael Sonnen would like to see.
Sonnen can communicate from expertise as a result of he challenged for the UFC middleweight and light-weight heavyweight titles – in back-to-back fights, no much less.
With Whittaker’s profession in an attention-grabbing place, Sonnen would like to see the previous champ make the transfer as much as 205 kilos as a result of he believes there are benefits, and returning to 170 kilos the place he started his UFC profession will not be an possibility.
“Let’s encourage that,” Sonnen mentioned on his YouTube channel. “I’m so utterly for that concept, and I don’t completely know what would occur. I simply know I’ve by no means seen Robert Whittaker stop ever. And I additionally know one other factor: The outdated expression ‘father time catches everybody,’ that’s not what’s taking place with Whittaker.”
Whereas Sonnen acknowledges Whittaker, 34, is approaching the tail finish of his profession, he doesn’t consider it’s a serious concern simply but. Sonnen credit Whittaker’s latest loss to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308 on account of merely being caught in opposition to a tricky, undefeated opponent.
With age, comes a drop off in velocity and slower response time. Sonnen believes as these days get nearer, Whittaker can reap the benefits of nonetheless being a speedy fighter by taking over bigger fighters now.
“A good way to masks it’s to go up in weight, as a result of these guys are slower,” Sonnen mentioned. “There has at all times been the misunderstanding that measurement is healthier. It doesn’t matter what number of instances it will get proven to the viewers that measurement is a detractor. It bought proven to the world Saturday in (Tyson) Fury vs. (Oleksandr) Usyk. The entire world noticed it. There isn’t any such factor as a attain benefit, a top benefit, or a measurement benefit.
“The phrase benefit simply means extra. On the planet of preventing after they say he has a attain benefit, they’ve used the fallacious phrase. They’ve used the fallacious phrase from the historical past of time, but it surely’s reprogrammed individuals. It simply means he extra attain. Peak benefit, it simply means he’s bought extra top, however statistically talking, they’re not going to indicate me a time when that’s really been a bonus.”
Contemplating the logjam on the prime of the middleweight division, the shorter path to a UFC title could also be within the mild heavyweight division. Sonnen believes the title image is so convoluted for the time being, and Whittaker doesn’t embrace the leisure facet of the enterprise to leap the road.
Regardless of believing Whittaker nonetheless possesses the talents to caputre gold within the division, Sonnen thinks his finest transfer is to alter weight lessons.
“I really like the thought of him going to 205 kilos,” Sonnen mentioned. “… Robert Whittaker vs. Anthony Smith may be very attention-grabbing to me. … Proper off the bat, I can see significant matches for Robert Whittaker at 205 kilos, and you recognize what I can’t do? He can be a prime draw, and I’d not disrespect Robert Whittaker, however I don’t have a match that’s leaping off the web page for me at 185.
“Robert Whittaker vs. Khalil Rountree is a essential occasion, proper now. I similar to the thought of 205.”
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