Chael Sonnen believes Charles Oliveira’s tendency to “get hit a lot” will prove costly against Justin Gaethje

Chael Sonnen believes Charles Oliveira’s tendency to get hit often could cost him in a fight against Justin Gaethje.

While it would appear as if Charles Oliveira is leaning towards defending his UFC lightweight title against Conor McGregor, the idea of “Do Bronx” versus Justin Gaethje simply cannot be ruled out. There are plenty of factors in play that’ll help determine what’s next at 155 pounds, but the ball is firmly in Oliveira’s court right now.

Chael Sonnen, who has been following the situation closely, decided to give his thoughts on what could happen if Oliveira and Gaethje square off.

“If you were gonna give a knock on Charles Oliveira, which you’re gonna have to look closely to do, it’s gonna be hard to critique the champion of the world – but you could. The numbers don’t lie and Charles Oliveira gets hit a lot. He gets hit a lot more than most other champions. Charles Oliveira does not have some Chris Leben-esque chin that he’s known for. He reacts like a normal human being, which is that he falls down and he’s hurt. None of that’s a knock on Charles, it’s something we have to be aware of because Justin Gaethje is damn good at touching people.”

While everything he’s saying about Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje is true, it may not ultimately matter. Conor McGregor is firmly in the conversation to get this fight and if he does, it’ll completely shift what we know about the immediate future of the lightweight division.

Who do you think will fight Charles Oliveira next – Conor McGregor or Justin Gaethje? What are the odds of Oliveira ending 2022 as the UFC lightweight champion? If he doesn’t, who will be the new king? Let us know your thoughts on this down in the comments, BJPENN Nation!