Chael Sonnen Predicts Usman Nurmagomedov Could Be Next for Justin Gaethje’s Lightweight Title
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The retired fighter turned analyst cited the Arman Tsarukyan vs. Maurício Ruffy announcement to work out who will fight Justin Gaethje for the lightweight belt next.
Justin Gaethje won the lightweight title against Ilia Topuria in June, and the division is moving forward with Tsarukyan vs. Ruffy as the UFC 331 co-main event in Los Angeles on September 19.
Now, Sonnen used this announcement to set a roadmap for Gaethje’s first-ever UFC title defense, and his answer is pretty straightforward.
Chael Sonnen: Usman Nurmagomedov Is the Leading Candidate
Laying out the formula on his YouTube channel, Sonnen said, “Today's task was to use the Ruffy-Arman announcement to try to deduce who would be next for Gaethje."
"The formula that I just laid out, if we're to take it as an absolute fact, the leading candidate for Gaethje's world title is Usman Nurmagomedov," Sonnen added.
However, Sonnen was careful not to crown Usman until he has thrown a punch inside the UFC cage. He stated that while Usman may not have beaten all the division's elites, he is the one who can.
Usman Nurmagomedov’s Current Situation
The undefeated Dagestani prospect Usman Nurmagomedov closes his PFL contract with a third title defense over Archie Colgan at PFL New York on July 31.
He is now a free agent and will have 90 days to negotiate with the promotion before any other outside discussions can commence.
However, the UFC has signaled a green light about signing the Dagestani, with Dana White responding with a grin to the question. But Usman’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, has already stated they won’t be taking a pay cut in any future deals.
Not only that, Abdelaziz even claimed that Usman (22-0) can beat almost every top contender in the lightweight division currently.
Moreover, the UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov has the last say, since he is Usman’s older cousin and leads the Dagestani team.
Usman is currently the PFL titleholder; hence, if the UFC deal comes to fruition, it would only make sense for him to face an opponent from the top three in the division. This will further answer many questions about the PFL champ’s caliber.
And taking everything into account, it seems like the UFC is a place for the Dagestani to cement his legacy in the sport further.
