Chael Sonnen Thinks McGregor Should Have Taken 3 Round Return
Conor McGregor recently announced his long-awaited UFC return. On January 18th, McGregor is scheduled to face Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone after a layoff of over a year. While many people are excited about Conor’s return to the UFC, others remain skeptical. Due to the layoff, Chael Sonnen believes that McGregor should ease into his return. Additionally, he thinks that it would be wise if Conor would have taken a three-round fight in his return over a five-round main event.
McGregor’s Return Options Before Cerrone
Every fan and media member had their own opinion on what should be next for Conor. Some suggested a rematch against Dustin Poirier now that both fighters have evolved well past the level of skill from their previous encounter. Others believed that the only logical fight would be against lightweight title contender Justin Gaethje.
McGregor himself called for a rematch against the champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, who defeated Conor at UFC 229. During an interview with ESPN, McGregor also suggested that he would like to take on Frankie Edgar, as his style would “replicate Khabib’s the closest.’ But, ultimately team McGregor decided on Donald Cerrone.
Chael Sonnen Analyzes McGregor Return
Chael Sonnen spoke about the show on his Youtube show “Bad Guy Inc.” Giving his analysis, Chael explained his analysis of Conor during five-round fights. Coming off of a layoff, Sonnen suggested that it could be in McGregor’s best interest to re-enter the fight game in a 3 rounder.
“The fight is scheduled for five rounds. If Conor ever had a flaw in his career, and he hasn’t had very many, he’s been open to admit it, he gets tired,” said Chael.
“To come off that layoff that he’s had… and yes he’ll be looking for that finish, he’ll be looking for that left hand, he’ll be looking to get Cowboy out of there, I understand that.”
McGregor has admitted himself that in the past, he gets tired. However, 23 of his 25 bouts have never made it into championship rounds. Conor has been able to successfully end 18 opponents by knockout without having to dig deep into late rounds.
McGregor at 170lbs
At welterweight, Conor showed massive signs of fatigue against Nate Diaz at UFC 202. Although McGregor won the controversial decision, all signs pointed towards a potential flaw in Conor’s game that didn’t reveal itself until his bouts against Nate.
Whether Conor will appear to look like his dominant self is yet to be determined. Whether 3 rounds or 5, the majority of fans are just happy to see the return on Conor McGregor.
