Chael Sonnen declares the UFC ‘BMF’ title ‘gone’ as he also talks about potential downsides of Jorge Masvidal’s new deal.
Even after three straight losses, Jorge Masvidal remains to be one of the top names in the sport today. He also continues to hold the title as the UFC’s first and only “BMF” champion in history.
“Gamebred” was rewarded for his efforts over the years through a new UFC deal that makes him the “top 3 highest-paid” fighter on the roster, at least according to his manager. But that new deal, however lucrative it may be, could also be his downfall, according to Chael Sonnen.
Sonnen discussed Masvidal’s “interesting” position in a recent YouTube video he uploaded. Without giving a specific reason, he first went to declare the BMF title experiment to be “over.”
“The BMF is gone. We never need to discuss it again, and it’s never being contested again, for multiple reasons,” Sonnen said.
“One of the things that makes Masvidal so compelling for me is that he’s a champion. I think whoever’s a champion has a built-in mechanism. Now, it’s just a matter of when are we gonna defend it and who we’re gonna defend against.
“Masvidal’s at a really interesting place where he got a championship that hasn’t been on the line. I love it. I love the BMF, I am sad that it’s over.”
Sonnen then touched on Masvidal’s new contract, which he compared to Ronda Rousey’s situation in the early 2010s when she rose to mainstream superstardom.
“I have seen guys lose their careers over a lucrative contract. I maintain for you what cost Ronda Rousey her career was the money she was making. ‘Cause Ronda was good enough to be one of the girls. She was not good enough to be the champion of the world. She was one of the girls, though. Top ten, for sure,” he explained.
“She could’ve done this for years. She’s gonna win some, and she’s gonna take a loss here and there. But her contract was so big and so beautiful, that she had to be main event. She had to be marquee, which means she had to fight the best girls in the world, which she was no longer was.”
For Sonnen, Masvidal may have painted himself into a corner by signing the new deal.
“It’s a way to get a guy to sign a contract. You bring a 37-year-old, you put a $10 million contract in front of him, he’s got to fight five times to get it,” Sonnen said. “You know full well how hard those matches are gonna be, and you’re never gonna exhaust that ‘cause he’s not gonna be here when he’s 40, for one, is how long that’s gonna take. He’s not gonna see all of these fights.
“For two, he’s gonna see a match or two, he’s gonna have a jackpot full of money, his time’s gonna be out. But now, he’s under contract with you, so he can’t go over here and do one of these exhibition matches. It’s a game, everybody’s playing the game.
“If it’s a $20 million deal, but it’s gonna take you eight fights to do — which you’re never gonna have eight more fights, and you really didn’t sign that big of a contract did you? You just tied yourself up for the rest of your life.”
Masvidal’s camp never specified how many fights were in the new deal. He is coming off a decision loss to former training partner turned sworn enemy Colby Covington at UFC 272 a week ago.