Chael Sonnen can’t understand how the weight class for Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler hasn’t been determined yet.
McGregor (22-6 MMA, 10-4 UFC), who’s back in the UFC drug-testing pool, is expected to return next year for the first time since July 2021 after he and Chandler coached Season 31 of “The Ultimate Fighter.”
McGregor and Chandler (23-8 MMA, 2-3 UFC) both competed at 155 pounds in their most recent outings, but they’ve discussed the possibility of fighting all the way up at middleweight. Sonnen finds their situation odd.
“Never in history have we had a fight where we don’t have a weight class,” Sonnen told MMA Junkie. “That simply does not happen. There’s venues, there’s a lot of things – we don’t have a weight class and still don’t have a weight class. It still hasn’t been stated if Conor is going to 170 or 155 or do a catchweight. They went on Twitter and said they were going 185. I’m just sharing with you this is getting a little weird at this point.”
Sonnen questions former UFC dual champion McGregor’s motivation at this point. “The Notorious” was in attendance for Tyson Fury’s crossover boxing match with Francis Ngannou this past Saturday in Saudi Arabia.
Even though McGregor vented his frustration on being out for so long while sitting on a loss, Sonnen thinks his drive to continue fighting is simply money.
“To see Michael Chandler training everyday, which he is, and to see Conor McGregor anywhere in the world except for a gym, which he’s never at, it’s one of those things like there is a money grab at some point,” Sonnen continued. “You will ask every fighter, ‘Why are you still fighting?’ And the answer if he tells the truth is because they’re still paying me. It feels as though Conor is getting into the cash grab. If he’s over there at (Saudi Arabia), he’s at the table with Manny Pacquiao, he’s trying to make a boxing match.
“Like I can’t blame him for doing these things, but there was a time in his career where he was hungry, youthful, active, and busy and could go do both of those things. That time was many years ago, and it just seems as though at some point we’re getting trolled. So, let’s see what happens. But he’s back in the pool; that’s a good sign. He’s fighting Chandler, they say, at a weight class they haven’t picked. No bout agreement has ever been signed that way.”
