Chael Sonnen has given his thoughts on the possibility of Kamaru Usman facing Shavkat Rakhmonov in a huge welterweight clash.
As we know, Kamaru Usman’s win over Joaquin Buckley has vaulted him right back into championship contention at 170 pounds. He was able to prove that he still has what it takes to defeat top guys in the welterweight division, cementing his status as one of the true all-time greats.
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Now, as we look ahead to the future, many are wondering what the next step is going to be for Usman. The popular opinion seems to be that he should face Belal Muhammad, but there are a couple of other potential opponents out there for him too – including Shavkat Rakhmonov.
In a recent podcast, Chael Sonnen gave his thoughts on this potential match-up.
Sonnen contemplates Usman vs Shavkat
“I think one strategy, because I do believe Shavkat to be the true No. 1 contender,” Sonnen said on “Good Guy/Bad Guy” with Daniel Cormier. “I do believe when Shavkat comes back, he’s probably going to walk right into a title fight, and I do believe between Islam and Jack, I think Shavkat is the alpha male in that room. I just think he’s the right size, and I think he matches up really well.
“I offer you that, because I think that Kamaru could come out publicly and start going after Shavkat, saying let me fight him. ‘Let me fight him for a No. 1 contendership,’ of which if he won, I think he would be granted.
“But even absent of getting that fight, should Shavkat walk right into a title fight, Usman’s now still aligning himself with one of the top two guys. I think strategy-wise, if he could align himself properly with Shavkat, and nobody’s going to ask for that job. Nobody out there’s going to ask to fight Shavkat. If he could come in and somehow get some business with him, it could pay off big.”
Quotes via MMA Junkie
