The back-and-forth between Chael Sonnen and Islam Makhachev is taking an interesting turn. Initially, it was Sonnen who criticized Makhachev’s move to the lightweight division. The former UFC star stated that Makhachev ran away from Ilia Topuria. And that was not all. Sonnen also termed it as a ‘sign of cowardice.’ Now, this did not sit well with the Dagestani.
Makhachev hit back at Sonnen, taunting him for his well-known trash-talking. The UFC lightweight king also pointed out that he was chasing a path toward greatness that Sonnen could never fathom. Now, this was enough verbal shots taken to put the matter to rest. Well, not yet. Moments after Makhachev’s reply, Chael Sonnen could not stop but reply to Makhachev.
“In the future, if I want your opinion I’ll beat it out of you,” said Sonnen.
Chael Sonnen responds to Islam Makhachev:
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) May 23, 2025
“In the future, if I want your opinion I’ll beat it out of you.” 👀🍿
🎥 @espnmma #UFC #MMApic.twitter.com/Q4iPWF2Psa
Sonnen further explained how every individual’s path toward greatness differs greatly. Surely, with so much back and forth going on, it remains to be seen whether Makhachev drags this further or not. Meanwhile, with so much criticism going on, Sonnen’s co-host, Daniel Cormier, jumped in Makhachev’s defense.
Daniel Cormier Defends Islam Makhachev’s Move To Welterweight
Cormier is well known for his friendship with Team Khabib. Moreover, he also shares a significantly close bond with Islam Makhachev. Thus, when the criticisms came swarming at Makhachev, DC did not hesitate to step in. Defending the move, Cormier praised Makhachev for putting his own wish over everybody else’s for the first time.
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“This is the first time, honestly, Islam has put his wishes above what everybody else wants. Because when everybody else wanted him to fight Volk, he did,” said Cormier.
Thus, with so much going on, it now remains to be seen what happens next.
