The main event for UFC 294 scheduled for October 21 will see Islam Makhachev take on Charles Oliveira for the second time. Surprisingly, the fight that has caught the attention of Chael Sonnen is the co-main event. The fight leading up to the main event will see Khamzat Chimaev make a return to the UFC after a long hiatus. He will take on the Brazilian Paulo Costa in a middleweight bout.
Unfortunately, this fight is causing quite a stir, but for the wrong reasons. Former UFC fighter, Chael Sonnen believes the co-main event might be in jeopardy. He has based his assertions on the fact that there is no real back-and-forth between the two fighters before the fight. Moreover, this fight was announced almost 6 months ago, which is a long duration according to Sonnen.
“Something is weird about this match,” he says in a video on his YouTube channel. “And if I can smell it, you guys can smell, which means the boys on the second floor at the UFC can smell.”
He also smells something fishy in the way Costa’s fight against Ikram Aliskerov at UFC 291 on July 29, 2023, was canceled a week before it was to take place. Immediately after the cancellation of that fight, Costa was scheduled to fight Chimaev at UFC 294. This, along with Khamzat Chimaev’s inability to make weight at UFC 279 against Nate Diaz, has Chael Sonnen worried.
Chael Sonnen doubts Khamzat Chimaev’s ability to make weight
At UFC 279, Khamzat Chimaev was scheduled to fight Nate Diaz. Unfortunately, ‘Borz’ was unable to make weight, and the fight was canceled. As such, he fought Kevin Holland and demolished him rather easily. Chael Sonnen thinks that a similar fate is destined for UFC 294. Unfortunately, there are no backup fighters announced for either the main or co-main events, which puts the UFC in a tricky spot in case of a weigh-in blunder.
It is true that many fighters are reluctant to take on Chimaev because of his prowess and ferocity in the octagon. This might partly explain the lack of a backup fighter for that particular fight. Many remember the mauling of Kevin Holland at the hand of Chimaev, as such fighters are wary of taking him on, especially on short notice.
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Adding to the uncertainty of the fight is Paulo Costa’s relationship with the UFC. In the past, he has been vocal about his dissatisfaction with the organization.
“Paulo Costa wasn’t shy about sharing some of his differences that he was having at negotiating. He was saying ‘I’ll do what Francis did, I’ll run this damn thing.’… I think that it’s a relevant factor that he was difficult at that time. Several guys are like that and you see it their way and you bring them this great new shiny contract,” said Sonnen on his YouTube channel.
Given the uncertainty of the event and the volatility of the personnel involved, Sonnen is right in casting a dark shadow over the event. Moreover, a lack of contingency also makes it rather unnerving for fans who will attend the event in the UAE. What do you guys think? Will the fight be canceled? at the last moment?
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