Three-time UFC title challenger, Chael Sonnen has made some additions to his BMF list – including a recent breakout star who’s captured fan attention like nobody else this year, and a recent addition to the promotion’s lightweight ranks.
The outspoken Oregon native took to his podcast recently – detailing some changes to his list of the ‘Baddest Motherfu*kers’ in the organization, without limiting the status to a particular weight class. The current holder of the UFC’s symbolic BMF championship is Floridian striker, Jorge ‘Gamebred’ Masvidal, who scored a third-round doctor’s stoppage win over TUF alum, Nate Diaz at UFC 244 in November of last year.
With rumours circulating recently that the promotion is planning a rematch between the two for a UFC 257 showcase in January – Sonnen shed light on his newly updated pile, which includes both Nick and Nate Diaz, promotional veteran, Jeremy Stephens, featherweight all-rounder, Cub Swanson, one-time heavyweight title challengers and past foes, Francis Ngannou, and Derrick Lewis, former two-weight world champion, Conor McGregor – as well as sky-rocketing talent, Khamzat ‘Borz’ Chimaev, and three-time Bellator 155-pound best, Michael Chandler.
“You gotta put (Khamzat) Chimaev [on the list], come on,” Sonnen said. “Chimaev will fight anybody, anywhere, anytime – he hasn’t even picked a weight class. He’s spewing venom all over the place. He’s half way being a gentleman while telling you he’s going to smash you. I don’t fully know how that works, but there’s a level of charm and glimmer in his eye as he says, very vicious things to you. That’s a BMF right there.“
When speaking of recent lightweight signee, Chandler’s addition to the stack – Sonnen noted the former’s willingness to travel to ‘Fight Island’ in Abu Dhabi, UAE, cut weight, all for the chance to possibly tackle the number one or number two forces in the division in his organizational bow.
“I gotta put Michael Chandler on there,” Sonnen explained. “Michael Chandler who I followed – I followed Bellator, I followed Justin Gaethje in the World Series of Fighting, I’m a fight fan. I watch the boxing, I watch the whole thing – If Vince McMahon’s putting on a good product, even if it’s fake fighting, I’m gonna tune in, I’m just a fan.“
“For Michael Chandler to come to the UFC with all of the hype that he’s behind, and instantly go into a batter’s-box – which consists of him doing three different COVID(-19) tests, getting on a plane going to a foreign country, getting all of his paperwork done – I would imagine there’s a passport involved there somewhere unless he just happened to have one that was up to date. Oh and by the way, the only reward if things go well is that I get to fight, the baddest dude in the world, or the second baddest dude in the world, both of them bring a twelve-pound gold belt.“
“They can figure it out between them, but I will be locked in there with one of them. I will have no training camp for either, I will have no time to study for either, ’cause I’ve gotta study two at once – have no idea motivation wise if I should even be ready, but I will. Oh, it’s gonna be five rounds? But I still will.“