While Chael Sonnen’s days of promoting fights seem to be over, it doesn’t mean he no longer enjoys being sold on them. And in Sonnen’s opinion, Conor McGregor sells better than anyone right now.

Sonnen knows a thing or two about mustering attention around a fight. For a time, essentially anything that came out of Sonnen’s mouth was headline-worthy. Now McGregor (16-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) is proving a similar sensation.

While McGregor has proven his talent with four straight UFC victories, his lack of filter when discussing his fellow competitors has drawn a mix of hate and embrace.

Sonnen has been in that position before, especially during his long-lasting feud with former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. While McGregor is still young in his journey as an athlete and a self-promoter, Sonnen said he’s awfully impressed with what he’s seen out of the Irishman thus far.

“I love everything that Conor McGregor is doing,” Sonnen said in an interview on Bruce Buffer’s “It’s Time!” podcast. “He’s very entertaining, and I think he’s an outstanding fighter. He dealt with a tremendous amount of pressure when he fought in his hometown in a main event in Ireland. He sold that out, it was packed, and the whole thing was based around him.

“Diego Brandao is about as tough a costumer as you’re going to get, particularly in the first round, and Conor was able to finish him inside of five minutes.”

Sonnen and McGregor have vastly different approaches to the sport both in and out of the cage, but one obvious similarity is the fact they’ve continually chased the top dogs.

In Sonnen’s case, he called for a matchup with Silva for several years. It took some time and effort to bring it to fruition, but he ultimately earned two pay-per-view headliners against “The Spider” and reaped the rewards both financially and in terms of his own popularity.

McGregor’s traveled along a similar path as he’s pinpointed UFC featherweight kingpin Jose Aldo since his April 2013 UFC debut. While he’s had multiple fights since then, McGregor has always kept the champion’s name close and, at this point, could be one win away from a title shot.

While McGregor receives a lot of criticism for his personality, Sonnen believes the brash 26-year-old actually deserves praise for maximizing his opportunities at every turn.

“When I watch people talk about Conor McGregor and say that he’s talking trash, they don’t understand what he’s doing and not listening to his interviews,” Sonnen said. “Conor’s not talking trash. There’s some stuff getting thrown in there, sure. There are some guys he’s bringing down. He’s talking himself up. He’s not always insulting other guys, but a little of that happens. He’s out there entertaining. He has something to say.

“You’ll have these fighters that come out and say, ‘I’m not here to talk. I’m here to fight. I’m a fighter.’ Well that’s not really true when you’re sitting there at a press conference wearing a suit. You’re not there to fight; you are there to talk. That’s what a press conference is, genius. When you’re doing a post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, you’re not there to fight. You’re there to do the interview. That’s why he’s holding the microphone.

“Some of these guys just don’t understand it, and what Conor McGregor is more than he’s a great trash talker, he’s a great entertainer. The guy’s got a great gimmick, a unique look and a great accent. He’s patriotic to his country. He’s an Irishman.”

Although Sonnen said McGregor has taken all the right steps to position himself as a major star for the UFC, he said there’s still one key piece that’s missing from the equation: unmistakable legitimacy as a top contender.

McGregor has defeated some solid opponents in his brief UFC career, but Sonnen is still skeptical about whether he’s the man to dethrone Aldo and rule the 145-pound weight class for years to come.

Sonnen hit several roadblocks in his quest to become the undisputed No. 1 fighter in his weight class. If McGregor can overcome those hurdles in his own career, the sky’s the limit, Sonnen said.

“To speak to Conor’s skills, I think everything is in place there,” Sonnen said. “Is he good enough to beat the top three? Frankie Edgar, one of the greatest of all-time, Chad Mendes and Jose Aldo, one of the greatest of all time? I don’t know. We’ll just have to see. I would be very impressed if he did.”

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