UFC and Bellator veteran Chael Sonnen is concerned that five division world champion Floyd Mayweather is potentially being set up to take a loss in a potential exhibition fight with Japanese kickboxing sensation Tenshin Nasukawa.
The contest was first announced earlier this month, and then abruptly scrapped by Mayweather - who claimed the fight promoter, Rizin, had misled him about the terms.
But in the last few days, both Mayweather and Rizin CEO Nobuyuki Sakakibara have both stated that everything was back on course for the planned event on December 31 in Tokyo, Japan.
“Misunderstanding with Floyd Mayweather has been resolved,” Sakakibara tweeted on his account.
“He will face off against Tenshin Nasukawa on December 31, New Year’s Eve. I will talk about the details at a press conference when I return to Japan."
Mayweather told TMZ Sports on Wednesday that the fight would go ahead.
“We’re going to make it happen,” Mayweather said. “It’s a no-brainer. Rules? It’s going to be a little boxing exhibition. I’m moving around with the guy for nine minutes, and of course it’s going be the highest paid exhibition ever."
But Sonnen is not ruling out the scenario of a double-cross in the contest.
“There is a chance the promoters have sold him on the idea and even put it in the contract, ‘hey this is an exhibition and this is just for fun and you’re gonna come in and move around with this guy.’ When he gets to Japan where he does not have a commission, he is quickly going to find out the other guy has not been told that. The other guy is coming out to fight and the other guy is coming out to try to win and knock him out. Fine, Floyd will adjust on the fly," Sonnen said, according to mmanews.com.
"What I would remind you and possibly I would be informing Floyd about is if he thinks even if he has a legally written contract that it’s going to be an exhibition meaning at the end of three rounds or at the end of nine minutes they’re going to smile and hug and walk away, he’s wrong. They will 100 percent announce a winner that night no matter what they have told Floyd. At the end of this contest if Floyd does not get the jump on this guy for the better part of three rounds, they will raise the other guy’s hand.”