Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler – a fight that has been more than a year in the making. Dana White ended the long-drawn-out speculations about this bout when he announced it after UFC 300. The spotlight has since then been on every statement and social media post that the participants have been making. But then came Charles Oliveira. The Brazilian entered the scene offering to be the backup for the main event of International Fight Week. But Chael Sonnen does not think that should happen.

During the media scrum for UFC 301 in Brazil, Charles Oliveira expressed his desire to become the replacement in the fight, and ‘Do Bronx’ got a lot of support from Daniel Cormier, but not from Chael Sonnen. The former UFC and Bellator star has his verdict that Oliveira is not fit to become the backup fighter, and here’s why.

Chael Sonnen disapproves of Charles Oliveira becoming the backup fighter

Charles Oliveira looked very different and shockingly so when he entered the Farmasi Arena to attend the UFC 301. He had already expressed his desire to be the backup fighter for the McGregor vs. Chandler fight. ‘Do Bronx’ looked much more muscular, leading many to believe that he was getting ready to be the backup for UFC 303. Chael Sonnen, meanwhile, wants everyone to slow down and look at a few facts first.

In a recent YouTube video, he said that Oliveira already let the world know that he would do anything to become the backup fighter for McGregor vs Chandler. Sonnen added, “He told us before 300 that if he wins over [Arman] Tsarukyan, he wants to use that power to fight Conor McGregor. Well, he lost  300 and now he still might have the ability to fight Conor McGregor, could you imagine?”

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In the fight business, the norm goes that you are only as good as your last fight. Oliveira has lost two out of his last three – one was a title fight and the other was a no.1 contender fight. Sonnen believes this puts Oliveira at a disadvantage for demanding a high-profile fight like Conor McGregor.

Further, ‘The Bad Guy’ thinks that the UFC’s search for a backup would be founded on the thought ‘Who could fight McGregor if not Chandler?’ What he means, is that McGregor will remain a constant, and any replacement would be chosen keeping this in mind.

 So Sonnen is of the idea that since ‘Do Bronx’ lost, he should not be the backup fighter. He explained, “A guy coming of off a loss, to possibly draw into his dream fight as he is previously stated, at a weight class he won’t have to diet for, that has a list of demands, simply is not the guy we are looking for.”

It is also important to remember here that Oliveira is looking for a quick turnaround since his close decision loss at UFC 300. However, his camp has advised against it. But a welterweight fight against McGregor means a bigger paycheck without a drastic weight cut to 155 lbs. So, surely the Chute Box team would not be opposed to the idea. Meanwhile, Daniel Cormier has another reason to add to this list and claimed that Oliveira is the right choice for UFC 303 backup.

Daniel Cormier explains the perspective behind choosing Oliveira

Daniel Cormier does not understand the implications this fight might have because ‘The Notorious’ is generally a lightweight fighter even if he has fought at welterweight before. ‘DC’ was moved to wonder who would be a backup fighter for this fight then, would it be someone from lightweight or welterweight? Ultimately this question led to him, choosing Oliveira. 

He said, “When you look at Conor and him having a fight in this division, is that going to be with the idea that they move towards the welterweight elite?… If there’s a backup fighter, does it come from that top 5? Maybe there’s a 155-pounder that moves.”

The problem is, that the current top lightweight fighters are either trying for the gold or just fought and are on hiatus. So the only person left and willing to fight is Charles Oliveira, who has stepped up and offered to be the backup.

The Hall of Famer chose Oliveira, but he too had his concerns. He pointed out that Oliveira might, ‘‘fumble the bag.” The former lightweight champion, when he made the backup request, had also claimed that if he ended up replacing Chandler, he would negotiate a higher pay. This move might backfire and that is a concern both Sonnen and Cormier share.

Now the question remains, will the UFC entertain Oliveria? Should they? Let us know in the comments below.