"I never considered a submission" - Chael Sonnen explains why he did not expect Islam Makhachev to win easily against Dan Hooker at UFC 267

​

Chael Sonnen (right), UFC 267: Islam Makhachev vs Dan Hooker (left). [Image source: Chael Sonnen on YouTube & MMA Junkie]

Chael Sonnen has revealed that he never expected Dan Hooker to be finished by Islam Makhachev at UFC 267 this past weekend.

In a recent episode of Sonnen's Beyond the Fight series, 'The American Gangster' discussed the main card fight, which saw 'The Hangman' submitted by a brutal kimura in the first round.

​

"I didn't think that Islam could finish him. I never considered a submission though, in all fairness. I thought about just pounding, being able to do enough damage from the top... the way he got the side control, grabbed that arm, put it behind the back and pull it up. I mean, I don't even think Hooker did tap. I think he looked at the ref and said stop. I think that's how it went but it was impressive."

Chael Sonnen admitted that Makhachev was overlooked regarding the skills he possesses. The former two-division title challenger mentioned hearing about the Dagestani's skillset from the likes of Khabib Nurmagomedov. Having seen it for himself against a top opponent at UFC 267, Sonnen was impressed.

The analyst later went on to praise the Russian for his performance and also credited him for being able to handle the pressure so well.

​

"You may get a boost if somebody like Khabib is in your corner and building you up publicly saying you're the best guy. I'm now gone and this is the guy, trust me. You may get a boost from that but you may also get real pressure from that. You may get all real anxiety from that... but I think Islam, at a minimum, deserves his credit now."

Watch Chael Sonnen recap Islam Makhachev's UFC 267 victory below:

---

Chael Sonnen believes Khamzat Chimaev is one victory away from a title shot

In another video, Chael Sonnen discussed Khamzat Chimaev's recent performance at UFC 267. In his first fight in over a year, 'Borz' defeated No.11-ranked welterweight Li Jingliang via first-round submission.

'The Bad Guy' complimented Chimaev for living up to the hype that he created in his first three UFC outings. Sonnen also claimed the Chechen-born Swede is only one victory away from a UFC title shot.

Watch Chael Sonnen talk about Chimaev's UFC 267 victory below:

​