"Is that a little bit cheap of me?" - Chael Sonnen posts video with son to make a point about Hasbulla being in Islam Makhachev's corner at UFC 280
It's safe to say that Chael Sonnen isn't a fan of Islam Makhachev having internet sensation Hasbulla in his corner at UFC 280.
The former UFC star used his son, Thero, as a prop to get his point across. In a video he posted on Twitter, Sonnen introduced his followers to his adorable 7-year-old son, saying:
"This is my son Thero. I love this guy. He comes with me, he's in the office, he goes to TikTok, he goes to Instagram. He loves to see himself. So I bring him over here. Now, generally, when I do put one of my kids in a video, you guys say very nice things. 'Father of the year. What a nice guy.' Nice things like this."
Sonnen then pointed out how he was being "cheap" by using his son to get positive attention from the fans. In the same way, the former middleweight title challenger believes that's precisely Hasbulla's purpose for Makhachev.
.@AliAbdelaziz00 will Hasbulla be in @MAKHACHEVMMA’s corner at UFC 280?
@fightoracle @MAKHACHEVMMA Yes
Hasbulla captured the adoration of the MMA community with his hilarious videos on TikTok and Instagram. The way Sonnen sees it, though, Makhachev is merely trying to curry favor from the fans by using the social media star as his mascot.
"Now, I love my son, but in all fairness, in this role, I'm using him for a prop," Sonnen continued. "He's here as an accessory. I'm attempting to tell you a story about myself while I comfort my young man. Is that a little bit cheap of me? Is that a little bit weird of me? Oh, and by the way, in completely unrelated news: Hasbulla is going to be in the corner of Islam Makhachev."
Watch Chael Sonnen's video below:
This is my son Thero… https://t.co/Ulpz2rijNt
Islam Makhachev's cornerman Hasbulla officially signs with the UFC
Hasbulla made his first appearance on UFC programming when he accompanied Islam Makhachev to fight against Dan Hooker at UFC 267.
Given his popularity among MMA fans, the UFC decided to make things official with the 3-foot-4 internet darling, signing him to a contract. On Instagram, Hasbulla announced that he signed an official bout agreement with the leading MMA promotion.
"The rumours are true. I have officially signed a deal to fight in the UFC!"
Check out Hasbulla's post below:
While negotiations have reportedly been taking place throughout the year, it never appeared certain the 20-year-old content creator would strike a deal. At this point, it's still unknown what the UFC intends to do with Hasbulla.