Whenever Chael Sonnen speaks on a highly discussed issue, his opinions stand out from those of everybody else as the ‘Bad Guy’ manages to gather all the attention to himself, along with a lot of criticism. He found himself in a rather huge situation when Sonnen accused the former lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev, of cowardice following his move up to the welterweight division.
Sonnen had said, “The idea of that Islam was not running from Ilia Topuria is very hard to convince 12 people dumb enough to not find a way out of jury duty. I mean here comes Ilia Topuria. The most decorated, the greatest record. To show his sincerity that this is about you and me, I’m gonna give my shiny trinket back. The problem I’ve got is that there was somebody and it was due to kindness that it was off limits. Because you are my brother. That, I do have a problem with.”
And the former lightweight champion took no time to hit back, stating: “Chasing hype and money is not the same as chasing greatness in sport.” However, amid all this heat, Sonnen came out to clarify himself and revealed that he was misquoted. As he sat down for a session with the ‘On Paper’ podcast hosted by the former UFC light-heavyweight contender Anthony Smith, the ‘Bad Guy’ Chael Sonnen revealed that he never called Islam a coward, so what did he say?
Chael Sonnen clarified, “No, but I’ve got to tell you this, from this standpoint. I think I was misquoted, in all fairness. I was describing a scenario, and what I called him was a coward what got quoted by ESPN, and something called MMA censored, which got a pretty good social media following, is I referred to Islam as a coward.” Blaming ESPN and social media channels for misquoting him, Sonnen suddenly took a U-turn from his previous stance.
He further added, “Now I went back and watched it. Cuz I thought man, if I said that I would have misspoke, that’s just, I wouldn’t use that word about Islam. And I don’t find him to be a coward, I find him to be a great competitor.” So what can we make of this? Does this sound any different than what he previously said? That’s a matter of perspective.
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However, this isn’t the first time that Sonnen’s controversial words have landed him in the centre of a fire. In reality, that is where Chael Sonnen mostly finds himself. So let’s take a look at a few instances when he gave the world all of his words and took all the heat to himself.
From Octagon to outrage: Chael Sonnen’s notable controversies
Chael Sonnen, known for his outspoken nature and polarizing presence in the MMA world, has been involved in several controversies throughout his career. The ‘Bad Guy’ is one of the best trash talkers in the history of the sport and is the fighter who paved the way for fighters like Conor McGregor to follow and thrive on. But even as an analyst, Chael hasn’t lost that touch. He still is a fresh presence in MMA controversies.
In 2014, while coaching “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3,” Sonnen was involved in a physical altercation with fellow coach Wanderlei Silva. The incident occurred during filming and was widely publicized, adding tension to their anticipated bout, which was later canceled due to various issues and compromises on both sides. This was also the iconic altercation from which we got one of the most popular UFC memes, the “I can’t let you get close.”
In 2022, regarding the ultimate KO victory of Leon Edwards over Kamaru Usman at UFC 278, Sonnen had accused Edwards of cheating and repeatedly grabbing the cage fence throughout the fight. However, Dana White later addressed the accusations and dismissed the claims made by Sonnen, calling the accusations “absolutely unfair.”
In 2024, when McGregor had to withdraw from a future fight, Sonnen had brought up the theory that the ‘Notorious’ was withdrawing from the fight due to him being in rehab. But the claims were soon concluded as false when McGregor himself shared a picture of his broken toe, the reason behind his withdrawal from the fight. After the Irishman gave his photographic evidence, Sonned had to take back his words.
Despite all the controversies, Chael Sonnen remains a huge figure in MMA. Brutal or soft, his opinions always latch onto the deeper connections and dots missing between the patterns in the world of MMA. Sonnen is a difficult man to understand. Do his statements carry any truth? What do you think? Let us know in the comments.
The post Chael Sonnen Makes Complete U-Turn on Calling Islam Makhachev a “Coward” for Welterweight Move appeared first on EssentiallySports.
