Chael Sonnen explains how Josh Emmett and Yair Rodriguez “botched” their championship fight at UFC 284

MMA analyst Chael Sonnen has explained why he isn’t a fan of how Yair Rodriguez and Josh Emmett have built up their UFC 284 title fight.

This Saturday night in Australia, the co-main event will feature Yair Rodriguez vs Josh Emmett. In that contest, the two will compete for the UFC interim featherweight championship.

The winner, of course, is expected to battle Alexander Volkanovski later in the year. With that being said, there isn’t a whole lot of hype surrounding the contest right now.

Both men have certainly earned their crack at the belt with Rodriguez and Emmett looking great as of late. Alas, you could be forgiven for forgetting this was so prominently featured on the card.

Chael Sonnen, a master of self-promotion, recently gave his thoughts on how they’ve done in terms of promoting the bout.

“Josh Emmett versus Yair Rodríguez is very, very interesting. (But) I realize that they haven’t told anybody they’re fighting,” Sonnen said. “Josh and Yair have botched this championship fight more than Ciryl Gane and Francis Ngannou. They have botched this fight more than Robert Whittaker botched his rematch with Israel Adesanya… These guys make Whittaker look like a tactical hard worker in the strategies of fight promotion.”

Sonnen goes after Emmett & Rodriguez

“They have done nothing, they have told nobody that they’re fighting… They suck at promotion to an extent that a rhetorical master like myself can’t even begin to explain. I’ve gotta give them a whack for that,” Sonnen added. “In spite of that, it’s a great match.”

Quotes via MMA News

Do you agree with the assessment of Chael Sonnen? Who do you believe is the favourite in this contest – Yair Rodriguez or Josh Emmett, and why? Let us know your thoughts on this intriguing title bout in the comments, BJPENN Nation!