Chael Sonnen doesn’t believe it’s fair to question Khamzat Chimaev’s conditioning

MMA analyst Chael Sonnen doesn’t believe it’s fair to question the state of Khamzat Chimaev’s conditioning ahead of UFC 319.

As we know, we’re just a few weeks away from Khamzat Chimaev challenging Dricus du Plessis for the UFC middleweight championship. It’s a fight that’s been a long time coming, and it’s one that many are backing ‘Borz’ to win. However, some have questioned the state of his conditioning.

RELATED: Chael Sonnen believes Khamzat Chimaev could serve as back-up fighter for UFC 312 main event

It’s been a question mark that has followed Chimaev around for a while now in the UFC. While he’s dominant when he gets to his opponent early, he sometimes fades slightly when it comes to the later rounds. Of course, it may not end up being a problem whatsoever, but it’s worth keeping in mind.

In a recent interview, the aforementioned Chael Sonnen explained his thoughts on the conversation surrounding Chimaev’s cardio.

Sonnen’s thoughts on Chimaev

“Chimaev has got to get him down,” Sonnen told MMA Junkie. “He can’t just go fight him anywhere. Then there’s a big question around Chimaev’s conditioning. I don’t know if that’s fair. We’ve seen Chimaev get exhausted. Fedor (Emelianenko) used to get exhausted, but he never stopped. It never slowed him down. And it’s the same thing with Chimaev.

“I don’t think it’s fair to question his conditioning. I think he’s got a bunch of energy and he uses it all, which is what he’s supposed to do. That’s going to get tested and we are going to find out if that’s accurate. I am also giving Dricus a lot better of a look than I was when Chimaev beat Whittaker and the fight got announced.”

Quotes via MMA Junkie

Do you agree with Chael Sonnen on this one? Let us know, BJPENN Nation!