Chael Sonnen supports Robert Whittaker move to light heavyweight

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 lightweight 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 choice.

“Let’s encourage that,” Sonnen mentioned on his YouTube channel. “I’m so fully for that concept, and I don’t completely know what would occur. I simply know I’ve by no means seen Robert Whittaker give up ever. And I additionally know one other factor: The previous expression ‘father time catches everybody,’ that’s not what’s occurring 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 because of merely being caught towards a troublesome, undefeated opponent.

With age, comes a drop off in pace and slower response time. Sonnen believes as these days get nearer, Whittaker can benefit from nonetheless being a speedy fighter by taking up 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 all the time been the misunderstanding that dimension is healthier. It doesn’t matter what number of instances it will get proven to the viewers that dimension is a detractor. It obtained 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 dimension benefit.

“The phrase benefit simply means extra. On this planet of preventing after they say he has a attain benefit, they’ve used the flawed phrase. They’ve used the flawed phrase from the historical past of time, nevertheless it’s reprogrammed individuals. It simply means he extra attain. Top benefit, it simply means he’s obtained 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 in the mean time, and Whittaker doesn’t embrace the leisure aspect of the enterprise to leap the road.

Regardless of believing Whittaker nonetheless possesses the abilities to caputre gold within the division, Sonnen thinks his finest transfer is to alter weight courses.

“I really like the concept of him going to 205 kilos,” Sonnen mentioned. “… Robert Whittaker vs. Anthony Smith could be very attention-grabbing to me. … Proper off the bat, I can see significant matches for Robert Whittaker at 205 kilos, and you understand what I can’t do? He could 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 predominant occasion, proper now. I similar to the concept of 205.”