What’s next for middleweight challenger Chael Sonnen? After losing a second time to champion Anderson Silva, the future is cloudy for one of the UFC’s biggest stars. One of his coaches, grappling specialist Neil Melanson, even speculated that Sonnen might have retirement on his mind:
Apparently Chael had his limit like, ‘This is it, I’ve had enough. If I don’t win this then it’s all not worth it.’ Having lost that, yeah, there’s a very good chance he could pursue other things…He’s a great fighter and he’s an awesome athlete but he can’t fight forever and maybe he’s at a point he’d like to do something else. Maybe I’m wrong. I hope I’m wrong.
Others close to Sonnen have told me he intends to continue fighting. He’s still one of the most bankable stars in the sport and still the second-best middleweight in the UFC. He’s a threat to beat anyone in the world at 185 pounds.
So, who should it be?
While his head trainer Scott McQuarry is calling for an immediate rematch with Anderson Silva, the UFC matchmakers may have a different Silva in mind—the legendary former Pride Fighting Championship star Wanderlei Silva.
Sonnen himself might prefer a bout with British star Michael Bisping. That fight is both marketable and a quicker route to a rematch with Anderson Silva.
Who do you want to see Sonnen face next? You can hear me make a case for both fighters in the video above. Let me know what you think in the comments below.
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