Chael Sonnen gives four-word reaction to "misinformation" surrounding Imane Khelif as boxer secures guaranteed Olympic medal
Former UFC two-division title challenger Chael Sonnen has offered his take on the controversy surrounding Algerian boxer Imane Khelif, who is at the center of the gender eligibility storm at the ongoing Paris Olympics. Khelif recently got the better of Hungarian boxer Luca Anna Hamori in the quarterfinal of the 66kg category.
Khelif and Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting's inclusion in the 2024 Olympics became a case of thorough scrutiny. The two women were disqualified from the International Boxing Association (IBA) Women's World Championships in 2023 after reportedly failing a DNA test.
A large faction of the combat sports community promptly condemned them based on assumptions from the tests conducted by the IBA. However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has cast doubts on the tests taken, calling the disqualifications “arbitrary." Moreover, they claimed that Khelif was "born female, was registered female, (and) lived her life as a female."
Check out the video below:
That said, there remains a sizable portion of fans who are persistently attacking Khelif after she recently secured Algeria’s first boxing medal since 2000.
With all that in mind, Sonnen took to X to react to a post that claimed "two biological men will compete for Olympic Gold in women's boxing." He wrote:
"This is not accurate"
Furthermore, Sonnen also reacted to a video of Matt Schlapp, the former White House Political Director, who labeled the situation "outrageous." 'The American Gangster' said:
"Matt, you got played. Delete this. The XY talk and the testing for such was misinformation."
Check out the X posts below:
Imane Khelif breaks down in tears after securing boxing medal for Algeria
On Aug. 3, Image Khelif secured a boxing medal for her nation for the first time since 2000 after defeating Anna Luca Hamori in the quarterfinal stage. Mohamed Allalou was the last Algerian to win a medal (bronze) in the 60-63.5 light-welterweight category at the Sydney Olympics 2000.
Following the win, Khelif was overwhelmed with emotion and repeatedly slammed the floor of the ring with her hands. She faced severe backlash from netizens and prominent names after Italy’s Angela Carini abandoned her fight against Khelif in the Round of 16 after only 46 seconds.
Check out the video of Imane Khelif following her win over Anna Luca Hamori below: