Former Light Heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida may be the top contender for the title together with Alexander Gustafsson (if he wins his next fight). But Chael Sonnen has no intention of giving Machida a title shot should he win against Jon Jones this April.
But according to Sonnen, neither him nor Jones is keen on giving him a shot at the title.
Sonnen:
"Does Lyoto Machida deserve another title shot? Absolutely. Is he a great fighter? Absolutely. I'm in on the business. I'm in on the pay per view. So is Jon Jones, but neither of us want to fight him because he can't draw flies. That's the bottom line. He got booed tonight, he got booed in his last fight. I can't sell out an arena with you. I can't sell PPV's with you. I'm not giving him the shot. Alexander Gustafsson, Gegard Mousasi, step up and I'll take the winner."
I think Chael Sonnen is up to his old tricks again. Sonnen basically says Machida can't sell pay-per-views (PPV). The UFC is in the business of drawing eyeballs to the events, and while Sonnen is the best in selling events, he claims that it's impossible to sell if Machida is his opponent.
Ultimately it is up to the UFC to decide who will fight the winner of Jones vs. Sonnen, and Chael, you need to beat Jones and be champ first before you even get to decide who should or shouldn't get a title shot.
