Fighting somebody for 12 rounds should be illegal - Chael Sonnen says boxing is getting "cannibalized" by time parameters, praises Jake Paul for 8-round matches

UFC legend Chael Sonnen believes boxing is living in the past.

'The American Gangster' recently suggested that no fighter or boxer should be fighting 12 rounds in this day and age. Sonnen even went on to praise Jake Paul and Most Valuable Promotions for putting on eight-round matches, as 12 rounds often force time constraints.

As of now, professional boxing consists of a maximum of 12 three-minute rounds for men and two minutes for women. The amateur scene is very different. The action is fast paced as the men's bouts are three rounds of three minutes and the women fight four rounds of two minutes.

Sonnen would like to see professional boxing take a page from amateur boxing to not only improve fighter safety, but improve the sport as a whole. During a recent YouTube video, Sonnen claimed that delivering more action in less time would allow promotions to book more than one high-stakes fight on the same card.

"Boxing promoters are getting cannibalized in their own market because the time parametres are so much. Nobody should be fighting somebody for 12 rounds. That should be illegal and I'm not a prude on these things."

Sonnen added:

"One of the great things Jake Paul is doing is we only have to watch eight rounds. If somehow we can make that six or somehow we could make that five. I mean, look at the amateurs, they only do three. That's enough. Nine minutes for two guys to prove their point, we got it. You only have a left and a right hand. Under that circumstance, you could bring in three or four fights a night, you could have feature matches."

Catch the full video below:

Dana White has also suggested that boxing's current landscape could prove a nightmare to try and cross-promote with. The UFC president believes the sport needs a complete overhaul.

Conor McGregor's 2017 bout with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2017 is likely to be Dana White's only major involvement in a cross-promotion with the sport.

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Chael Sonnen on UFC officials speaking up when criticized

Chael Sonnen has praised the UFC's policy of not allowing officials to speak to the media. The 43-year-old said that although it may be tough for referees and judges to be criticized and remain silent, ultimately, their comments to the media would likely be used against them.

The recent controversy comes after welterweight Jorge Masvidal shared that he doesn't want Herb Dean to referee anymore of his octagon fights. 'Gamebred' believes that Dean made multiple mistakes throughout his fight with Colby Covington, including failing to recognize an eye poke from 'Chaos'.

Chael Sonnen even noted that the UFC officials that he has seen break their silence, often aren't seen in the octagon again. In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Sonne said:

"I couldn't imagine being in Herb's spot or any of the other officials where you can't speak up but I have heard referees break that rule. I have seen judges break that rule, even if it was in something as small as the underground forum, you then quickly don't hear that judge again. They quickly and quietly disappear."

Watch Chael Sonnen discuss the UFC's officiating policy here: