SALT LAKE CITY – Chael Sonnen thinks Charles Oliveira has Tony Ferguson to thank for helping elevate his star.
Oliveira earned a title shot after a lopsided decision win over Ferguson at UFC 256, and went on to capture the vacant lightweight title with a knockout of Michael Chandler at UFC 262. “Do Bronx” then scored back-to-back finishes of Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje, before seeing his run stopped by Islam Makhachev. However, he rebounded with a first-round TKO of Beneil Dariush at UFC 289 to earn another title shot.
Oliveira (34-9 MMA, 22-9 UFC) is one of the most beloved stars on the roster and has headlined four straight pay-per-view events from 2021-2022. He will headline another show when he run things back with lightweight champ Makhachev at UFC 294 on Oct. 21 in Abu Dhabi. According to Sonnen, Oliveira’s star has largely to do with Ferguson giving him an opportunity.
“Charles Oliveira does not exist without Tony Ferguson,” Sonnen told MMA Junkie. “Charles Oliveira is a great fighter, but the top five guys were stars, and 6,7,8,9 and 10 weren’t. They were really good fighters. The top five were stars. Nobody would give Charles an opportunity. Tony was up in the loft. He left the ladder down behind him.
“Charles Oliveira does not exist – he’s getting ready to go to a main event, they’re talking about he’s setting pay-per-view records, he’s made millions of dollars. I don’t know that he’s ever thanked Tony. I don’t know if he would agree with me, but I am right. His story and his rise does not exist without Tony Ferguson.”
Ferguson (25-8 MMA, 15-6 UFC) will look to snap a five-fight losing skid when he takes on Bobby Green in Saturday’s UFC 291 main card at Delta Center in Salt Lake City. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC/ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
Sonnen admits Ferguson is in a rough spot in his career, but won’t completely write off his friend and former teammate.
“I’m nervous about it,” Sonnen said. “When you look at a guy’s record and you know the end is approaching – and that’s a very tough thing; I would never call for somebody’s retirement because you’re also calling for their unemployment. … I care about Tony, and I watched Tony. People will always look at your record. They’re not looking deep enough. You want to look at the rounds. Out of his last 20 rounds, how many did he win?
“Because a lot of guys will have a losing record but they won 15 of those rounds. Something happened. When you haven’t won a single round in the last 20 rounds, it’s a very different scenario, and I think that’s tough stuff. Think about this sport without someone like Tony. It’s very tough stuff. I’m certainly not calling for it. Maybe I’m attempting to promote him. Maybe I’m attempting to give an incentive to watch. Tony Ferguson is not to be played with, but neither is Bobby Green. Bobby Green’s the real deal.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 291.
