Chael Sonnen Clears Air Around Islam Makhachev Beef over ‘Coward’ Comment

MMA veteran and analyst Chael Sonnen pitches in on viral ‘cowardice’ comment about Islam Makhachev's shift to the UFC's 170-pound weight class.

Chael Sonnen Clears Air Around Islam Makhachev Beef over ‘Coward’ Comment

Chael Sonnen gives his side of labelling UFC champ Islam Makhachev move up as cowardly (Source: IMAGO/X)

The promotion’s pound-for-pound topper and longtime UFC 155-pound kingpin, Islam Makhachev, has opted for a welterweight move in recent times. He will compete for Jack Della Maddalena‘s undisputed title soon. Some prominent names were surprised by the discourse, given the momentum he had at lightweight. However, it made MMA’s ‘Bad Guy’ Chael Sonnen question his gusto and fortitude.

Islam Makhachev’s move to shift was preceded by rival Ilia Topuria’s move to shift up after relinquishing the 145-pound belt. While the division is top-heavy and brimming with top contender talent, nothing beats a PPV title super fight like Topuria vs. Makhachev; recent times have propelled the Spaniard as the biggest of draws.

With the Topuria super fight option on the table, Chael Sonnen boldly labelled this a ‘coward’ move on Makhachev’s part. Former training mate Josh Thomson, and even Team Makhachev itself dissed Sonnen for it. Now, ‘American Gangster’ has told his side of things and how he was misheard, in a media conversation with MMAJunkie’s Mike Bohn:

I got misquoted by a pretty big site called MMA Uncensored. Islam thought I called him a coward, and he responded to the report that I called him a coward, which I never did. If he thinks I called him a coward and so he responds to me, if he thinks I did, I must fight back. Not to mention, you’re coming into my world…

This isn’t something new the former lightweight king has talked about; which is why Sonnen’s ESPN co-host, Daniel Cormier, also pitched in on Makhachev’s defense. Longtime Team AKA teammate Cormier presented that Islam Makhachev has wanted to chase multi-division glory for a while now.

When Kamaru Usman used to carry the 170-pound undisputed gold, the Dagestani and the ex-champ used to joke around about a future PPV scrapper. Makhachev did the same and carried a deep moniker of respect for Leon Edwards for a while.

Friend Belal Muhammad provided a bit of a wrinkle, snagging gold in last July’s PPV main event in Manchester against Edwards. Cormier hit back that ‘cowardice’ claims do not apply since this was always the go, and Makhachev has been awaiting the PPV title fallout since long before UFC 315. However, Sonnen revealed that Team Makhachev called up quite a few times to clear the air on it.

Chael Sonnen divulges phone call from Islam Makhachev’s manager in wake of his public censure

The Dagestani fighting grind has deep-seated devout roots that often cause cultural misinterpretation. Being labeled a ‘coward’ by Chael Sonnen falls on those lines. Team Makhachev (take Ali Abdelziz, maybe) later dissed back at that bold assertion and earned some callbacks themselves.

Chael Sonnen reveals ‘annoyed’ call-in from Islam Makhachev’s manager
Chael Sonnen reveals ‘annoyed’ call-in from Islam Makhachev’s manager (Source: X)

The fine line was that disregarding a #1 ranked world champ and hot contender willing to leave behind a division (Topuria) was a ‘cowardice’ move; not that Islam Makhachev himself was called a coward. It’s common ground that Makhachev himself is quite aware of.

With many of his title defenses coming against former/current featherweights, he used to be billed a weight bully for it, and hence chose to shift to 170, where he was suited more. However, manager Abdelaziz was having none of it and felt the need to insert himself in this to-and-fro. Chael Sonnen iterated in a recent YT Video that he got a call from him on it:

When my version of this story got retold, it said that, ‘Chael Sonnen said Islam was a coward.’ … I don’t apologize for anything ever…I didn’t call him a coward, I just didn’t. I get a phone call yesterday from Ali. Ali’s my friend, but he’s Islam’s manager. Ali’s gotta take a side here…He calls me up — and I could tell by Ali’s tone and his accusations, I could tell that he did not hear me say it. He had heard the way it was reported by somebody else…and Ali was quite annoyed that I would say this about Islam.

Sonnen recently reported the matter resolved, but it is far from so. A Topuria missing link will remain one of the biggest what-if super fights, as it was serving as the lightweight champ’s next defense. ‘Uncrowned’ Combat’s Ariel Helwani, also recently weighed in on it. Per his take, Makhachev vacating for a move up is not the same as Topuria vacating for a move up for this fight.

Helwani presented that Topuria had top seeds, Movsar Evloev and Diego Lopes, waiting in the wings. Meanwhile, Islam Makhachev had a PPV draw, a Forbes España’s ’30 Under 30′ A-lister, and a divisional champ waiting in the wings.

In Topuria, he could have gotten yet another possible champ vs. champ skills test as well. Rather than the usual fight capital or Sin City grounds, Topuria was also on tap for a Spanish PPV premier at Bernabeau. With a division apart, though, this Makhachev vs. Topuria dream fight seems very far from realization now.

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