Why Chael Sonnen belongs at middleweight

“The American Gangster” himself is not close to retirement like many thought. Instead, he has signed a new 5 fight deal with the UFC.

Sonnen said on UFC Tonight on Fuel TV that after his fight with Shogun Rua at UFC Fight Night 26: Shogun vs. Sonnen, that he will be dropping back down to the division where he fought for the belt, twice.

The middleweight division needs Sonnen as much Sonnen needs the division. The 185 lb. division has some of the best wrestlers in all the UFC weight-classes. And what’s better than having one of the best wrestlers in all of mma, back in the division?

With Weidman doing something Sonnen couldn’t, I’m sure he would love to run into Silva again on his way back to a potential title shot.

Sonnen must’ve signed a 5 fight deal with some sort of plan in mind. With 5 fights on the table, you can bet he has himself convinced that he would make another run at the UFC’s middleweight championship.

Not only that, but he could settled feuds with guys like Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva, who will drop back down to fight Sonnen. Sonnen would match-up great with guys like Mark Munoz (who he is training with now), Tim Boetsch, Cung Lee, Costa Philippou, and of course newly crowned champion, Chris Weidman.

The light heavyweight division is a decent fit for Sonnen, but we all know that he belongs at 185. He looks more focused at middleweight, he looks more fit, and we all know that he wants one more shot at Silva. If Silva loses against Weidman, the UFC could easily make that match for the third time.

The Chael Sonnen that talked crap, hyped up fights, and that had that persona that everybody loves to hate, is gone at 205 lbs. He was signed to coach opposite Jon Jones so he would talk smack and create ratings. Instead, he almost friended “Bones” Jones and the smack-talking Sonnen was gone.

Now he has a fight with Shogun, and again it’s the same, no attitude. I guarantee when he arrives back at 185, “The American Gangster” will be back. That’s his division, and now he needs to prove it.

Time will tell how Sonnen will do against Shogun, but now we all know, either way, the UFC and Sonnen still have big plans despite what happens in the up and coming weeks. Sonnen draws fans in and even the haters love to hate him. There are reason’s why the UFC keeps guys like Roy Nelson and Sonnen around. We all love them, whether you want to admit it or not. Sonnen belongs at 185, and we can’t wait to see him back were he belongs.