Chael Sonnen says he’ll probably battle another MMA legend in his next fight

Though he is no longer the UFC superstar he once was, Chael Sonnen has carved out some real success under the Bellator MMA banner. His first fight, of course, was a disappointing loss to the retiring legend Tito Ortiz. In his next fight, however, he rebounded with a dominant decision win over long-time rival and bona fide MMA legend Wanderlei Silva.

From the sounds of it, Sonnen’s habit of battling aging legends is likely to continue. In a recent interview with FloCombat.com, the three-time UFC title challenger suggested that his next fight is likely to pit him against former UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell.

“I think the most likely opponent is going to end up being Chuck Liddell,” Sonnen said. “We’ll see what happens there, but that’s what I think is going to happen. I think there are actual legs to this Chuck thing. I really do.”

This, of course, is in keeping with a recent statement from Liddell’s coach John Hackleman, who suggested Liddell could make a comeback for the right fight.

“It would all depend upon – this sounds so bad. Seriously, the people who know me know what a terrible mother hen I am when it comes to matching my fighters, but it would depend on the match,” Hackleman told MMAFighting.com.”It would all depend on the match. I’m not gonna name who I would let him fight – well, it’s not up to me to let him fight or not – but who I would okay and who I wouldn’t.”

It’s also worth noting that Liddell recently had a lunch meeting with Bellator boss Scott Coker. So perhaps there really are “legs to this Chuck thing” as Chael Sonnen suggests.

Do you want to see Chuck Liddell and Chael Sonnen fight?

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 8/2/2017.