Chael Sonnen pushes Kamaru Usman to stay at middleweight despite UFC OKC loss: “I don’t think he’s given himself a chance”

Kamaru Usman hasn’t committed to his weight class going forward, but Chael Sonnen urges him to see things through at middleweight.

Usman had his second 185-pound fight when he met Dricus du Plessis in the UFC OKC headliner. “The Nigerian Nightmare” had significant issues in the first two rounds, but he started to come alive in the third. He even threw out a barrage of punches near the end of the final frame, but it was too little too late.

The former UFC welterweight titleholder dropped a unanimous decision to du Plessis, and the next path for the 39-year-old legend is unclear. In a fresh video upload on his YouTube channel, Sonnen insisted that staying at 185 pounds is the right move for Usman (via MMAJunkie).

“Why do I want Kamaru Usman to stay? Because I don’t think he’s given himself a chance,” Sonnen said. “When Kamaru Usman used to wrestle, he was a 185 pounder. When Kamaru Usman had Olympic aspirations, it was for 86 kilograms – which translates to 185 pounds. He was never (170 pounds). But once you become a 70-pounder for 10 years, you’re now not a middleweight unless you commit to it.”

Sonnen believes Usman would give his shelf life a boost by remaining at middleweight since he wouldn’t have to put the stress of weight cutting on his body.

“I think it could extend his career,” Sonnen said. “The No. 1 reason why athletes retire – judo, boxing, MMA – is the scale. Khabib retired because of the scale. Khabib didn’t need to be done fighting; he was done making 155 pounds. Now Kamaru can make 170, I’m sure of it, but if he goes to ’85, if he remembers how good he felt on Friday at the weigh-ins, and he goes, ‘You know what? That’s what I want for the rest of my career. I’d be all for that. I think he’s a contender.”

Usman was asked about his preferred weight class going forward during a post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier. “The Nigerian Nightmare” said he’ll go wherever opportunity knocks. Whether or not Usman can prove that he can still recapture some of his past magic remains to be seen.

Do you think Kamaru Usman should stick to middleweight, or is 170 pounds where he needs to compete at? Let your voice be heard in the comments below.