"185 pounds needs Colby Covington"- Chael Sonnen makes a case for Colby Covington as a middleweight title challenger

MMA analyst Chael Sonnen has explained why he believes Colby Covington should get a UFC middleweight title shot.

Chael Sonnen knows a thing or two about working his way into title contention at a different weight class after getting a chance to take on Jon Jones at light heavyweight. While that didn't go his way, it just highlights how far his self-marketing was able to take him in the UFC.

When it comes to Colby Covington, you could argue that 'Chaos' has many of the same traits.

His dominant wrestling style has seen him become one of the best welterweights on the planet alongside Kamaru Usman. However, after losing twice to Usman, many wonder how long it'll take him to get back to a title shot.

'Chaos' has hinted at the idea of a jump up to middleweight to face Israel Adesanya - and Chael Sonnen has explained why it's not an outrageous prospect. In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Sonnen said:

“It has never been tested that once you have a number one contendership, can you pass that golden ticket wherever you want [at a different weight class]? It has always been the belief that you’d cash it at your own division, but again, that’s why I go back to the word ‘test it’. Nobody has ever tried and this is a very unique situation.”

“185 pounds needs Colby Covington. There is not a clear number one contender there. We are going to Jared Cannonier but we understand that in the last two fights, Cannonier went 1-1. We understand that in the last two rounds, Cannonier hasn’t won a single one of them. I’m not being a jerk, all I’m trying to do is prove a point that it is not as crystal clear at 185 as it is at 170.”

Cannonier is actually 2-0 in his last two fights, with his most recent loss coming at the hands of Robert Whittaker in October 2020.

Watch Chael Sonnen speak about the matter below:

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What is Colby Covington's plan?

In the immediate aftermath of his UFC 272 win over Jorge Masvidal earlier this month, Covington opted to call out former ATT training partner Dustin Poirier.

'The Diamond' has said in the past that he wouldn't be interested in giving Colby the satisfaction of fighting him in the octagon. At the same time, it could prove to be quite the payday for both men.

Poirier has been pushing for a fight against Nate Diaz but that has yet to come to fruition. Covington could change course and go to middleweight but with Adesanya preparing to take on Cannonier, he may have to wait his turn.