Chael Sonnen: Conor McGregor that fought Alvarez was possibly ‘greatest talent that I’ve ever seen’

Chael Sonnen has always held Conor McGregor in high regard. Yet Sonnen’s latest comments about McGregor show just how impressed he has been with the Irishman over the years.

He says McGregor’s 2016 knockout victory over Eddie Alvarez was perhaps the greatest fighting talent he’s ever witnessed.

“I believe the Conor McGregor that fought Eddie Alvarez to possibly be the greatest talent that I’ve ever seen,” Sonnen said on his podcast. “Possibly. The way he approached that [with] the pressure that he had on him… It was the biggest gate in MMA history, it stands to this day as the biggest gate in MMA history. It was in [Madison Square Garden] in New York for the first time ever. I mean the pressure that was on Conor McGregor. He moved up weight classes, it was champion versus champion… the whole bit going in it. But then the actual performance…

“Guys, nobody kicks Eddie Alvarez’s ass. Nobody has ever kicked Eddie Alvarez’s ass, before or since. It was one of those nights where Conor came out and he just couldn’t miss,” Sonnen continued, praising McGregor. “He just couldn’t miss. Anything he tried, any showboating he performed, any defences or offences he did, he just couldn’t miss.”

While there is no denying McGregor looked incredible in his defeat of Alvarez, he unfortunately hasn’t won a fight since.

His next fight thereafter occurred in the boxing ring, where he was bested by undefeated legend Floyd Mayweather Jr. by 10th-round TKO. From there, after a lengthy hiatus, the Irishman returned to the Octagon to take on Khabib Nurmagomedov. He lost this MMA return by fourth-round submission.

Conor McGregor is slated to return to the cage against Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone on January 18, where he’ll look to pick up his first win since he cudgelled Alvarez in New York City.

Do you agree with Chael Sonnen on this one?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 12/4/2019.