https://www.mmanews.com/news/ben-askren-questions-chael-sonnen-return-anderson-silva-boxing
Ben Askren thinks Chael Sonnen is biting off more than he can chew.
Ben Askren isn’t sure what to think of fellow former MMA fighter Chael Sonnen’s upcoming venture into the sport of boxing.
Sonnen, who is widely regarded as one of the top UFC fighters to have never held a championship, hasn’t competed in combat sports since a knockout loss to Lyoto Machida under the Bellator banner back in 2019.
This year, however, “The Bad Guy” is back.
It was announced this week that Sonnen will return in a different realm of the fight game, lacing the boxing gloves for the very first time to do battle with former two-time MMA opponent Anderson Silva.
skren followed a similar path post-MMA — only, his opponent’s striking credentials were a far cry from Silva’s…
Askren: I Don’t Know Why Sonnen Is Boxing
During a recent episode of his Funky and the Champ YouTube show alongside Daniel Cormier, Askren reacted to news of Sonnen’s debut in the ring against “The Spider.”
“Funky” is familiar with the transition, having marked the first high-profile opponent for YouTuber-turned-pugilist Jake Paul. The ex-Disney star turned out to be a better boxer than Askren had anticipated, knocking him out inside one round and going on to defeat the likes of Tyron Woodley and Silva.
With most dismissing Paul’s ability at the time, Askren sees that as his excuse for making the ill-advised venture to the ring. But given Silva’s known skills and success in the sport post-UFC, the former ONE champ has some questions for his fellow wrestling specialist.
“I don’t know. Chael, I love you, but I don’t know why you’re boxing,” Askren said. "At least when I took my boxing fight, I thought this dude (Paul) sucked. I thought he was really bad. Unfortunately for me, he’s not all that bad and he’s continued to be a boxer and win boxing matches.
“I really don’t know why Chael’s doing it. Anderson is a very good striker. He’s actually had multiple boxing matches… beat Julio César Chávez,” Askren continued. “So I don’t know why he’s doing it.”
Sonnen and Silva are slated to meet at a black tie, invitation-only event in SĂŁo Paulo on June 15. Their contest will be fought across five two-minute rounds at a weight of 216 pounds.
The former middleweight title challenger has claimed he will subsequently box Jorge Masvidal in October of this year, but nothing official has emerged regarding such a bout.
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