Former light heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones is set to return to the UFC on March 5 at UFC 285, facing number one contender Ciryl Gane for the vacant heavyweight belt.
However, not everyone is thrilled about this upcoming bout. UFC veteran Chael Sonnen has expressed his disapproval, stating that it’s the “least deserving heavyweight match” in quite a while.
Chael Sonnen is one of the most well-known non-champion UFC athletes of all time. Despite never winning any belts, Sonnen took on several champions and gave them a run for their money. He is also known for his exceptional trash talk, which always entertained fans.
Jones is making his highly-anticipated comeback after a three-year layoff. He dominated the light heavyweight division from 2011 to 2020, with a total of 11 title defenses and only one loss via disqualification.
On the other hand, Gane has a less impressive record with a 1-1 in his last two, including a loss against former champion Francis Ngannou in January of last year.
Sonnen discussed the upcoming event with MMA journalist Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour.
“Well, you’ve got a guy who took three years off versus a guy who is 1-1 in his last two. That’s just the reality. I don’t know if we’ve had a less deserving heavyweight [title] match in a meaningful period of time.”
“We’ve got a heavyweight we were plagued with, [Francis Ngannou] didn’t even want to be here, he wanted to be a boxer. But, he won the title so we’ve got to sit with him.”
According to Sonnen, the current state of the heavyweight division is pretty dreadful.
“As far as where we’re at in the heavyweight division, it’s pretty slim pickings. We had the youngest ever UFC champion who is now the oldest number one contender in the UFC, that’s the reality.”
While some fans are eagerly awaiting Jon Jones’ comeback, Chael Sonnen isn’t convinced. He believes that the upcoming heavyweight title bout between Jones and Gane is undeserving and that Gane’s record doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.
Regardless of Sonnen’s opinion, Jones remains one of the most dominant guys in UFC history, and fans are sure to tune in to see if he can conquer the heavyweight division.