EPSN pundit Chael Sonnen believes that in the build up to UFC 194, neither Conor McGregor nor Jose Aldo really believe that they can win the fight.
Speaking to the Submission Radio podcast, Chael Sonnen covered a number of topics including Ronda Rousey's defeat, and doping in the sport, before eventually turning his attention to UFC 194 as Mcgregor and Aldo get set to go head to head.
When asked whether he saw any parallels with the mind games he used in the build up to his own fight against Anderson Silva and the way that McGregor is getting into Aldo's head, Sonnen stated that he believes that he's never seen a fight like this in the UFC for several reasons.
Sonnen stated that "when all is said and done, this might be the biggest fight in the history of the UFC" in terms of takings, but despite that, it's not like anything he's seen before.
Chael Sonnen, top, against Anderson Silva during UFC 117 Oakland, Calif. Image: Jeff Chiu / AP/Press Association Images
"I have never seen a fight of this magnitude where both guys are so sure that they're going to lose," he continued. "These guys are so scared of one another, and so positive that they other guy's going to beat them, I've never seen anything like it.
"Conor McGregor is feathering a nest for a fall, and it's so apparent to a guy who understands the psychology of sport.
"He just did an interview where he said that the secret for success is failure and nobody can really be the best until they get beaten [...] it was a weird thing for him to say and he was feathering this nest.
"And then Jose Aldo, this guy's a chicken. I can't tell you how good Aldo is, but he doesn't think it [...] he's pulled out of five fights, and he's already pulled out of this one once".
He finished off by saying that while the average viewer might just see the interviews and media done by the pair as part of the entertainment in the build up, he knows "as an athlete that gets sports psychology, these guys are scared of each other".
He added that from what he's heard through being in the UFC and covering the beat, that "getting this fight together has not been easy on Dana White and if Dana wants to share that, that's his story to tell and not mine".
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