Chael Sonnen has suggested that a potential welterweight matchup between Conor McGregor and Jorge Masvidal would be the ideal next move for both UFC megastars.
In 2019, the MMA community was rife with speculation that McGregor and Masvidal could face off in a big-money showdown at welterweight.
However, the dream matchup didn’t come to fruition, and both fighters subsequently suffered multiple defeats. McGregor is on a two-fight losing streak, whereas Masvidal is on a three-fight skid.
Conor McGregor suffered a gruesome leg injury in a lightweight bout against Dustin Poirier last July and is expected to return in early 2023. In an episode of Beyond the Fight, Chael Sonnen explained that unlike some of McGregor’s earlier injury rehab photos where he weighed around 190 pounds, he currently appears much leaner.
Sonnen believes this indicates that the former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion might fight in the welterweight division next. Speaking of which, he proposed a welterweight matchup between McGregor and the Irishman’s longtime rival Jorge Masvidal:
“I just don’t think you can talk about Jorge Masvidal without talking about Conor McGregor. I was on Instagram this morning, could’ve been last night. Conor, oh my goodness, he’s big! And not that 190 [pounds], not that bloated – ‘I can’t train because my foot hurts and I got beautiful DNA’ big.
No, not like that. Trimmed down, getting in shape. He’s just big. He’s just a big man. This idea of Conor going up to 170 and showing this bravado – But he’s a 170-pounder. What would his motivation be, guys, to come down to ‘55?”
Chael Sonnen emphasized that Conor McGregor is unlikely to face Dustin Poirier in a fourth fight anytime soon. He also indicated that the probability of McGregor fighting for the UFC lightweight title is also low. Sonnen believes there isn’t much to motivate ‘The Notorious’ to return to lightweight and that he’d be better off moving to welterweight and fighting Masvidal.
Watch Sonnen discuss the topic at 4:56 in the video below:
Jorge Masvidal willing to face Conor McGregor in their long-awaited grudge match
‘Gamebred’ has been lobbying for a fight against rival Leon Edwards ever since ‘Rocky’ won the belt. Although Masvidal is 0-2 in title fights and has lost his last three outings, he wants to leverage his altercation with Edwards to book a fight against the new champion.
Over the past few months, ‘Gamebred’ has been called out by former title challenger Gilbert Burns.
Moreover, earlier this year, Jorge Masvidal sounded off on Conor McGregor, labeling him a “little b***h” and a “f**king midget.” ‘Gamebred’ highlighted that while he’s open to facing Leon Edwards or Gilbert Burns, he’d love to fight McGregor. Speaking to MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck, Masvidal said:
“The one [fight] that makes the most sense is little b***h, Conor, right? I wouldn’t mind getting a fat paycheck for beating that f**king midget’s a** up! I don’t know if it’s going to happen.”
Watch Masvidal’s interview below: