You would think you would hear more from him - Chael Sonnen questions Islam Makhachev's lack of desire to endorse potential title fight
Chael Sonnen has suggested that Islam Makhachev isn’t doing a good job of promoting his potential UFC lightweight title fight against Charles Oliveira. In an edition of Beyond the Fight, Sonnen sounded off on Makhachev’s lack of self-promotion in general, as the Dagestani fighter generally refrains from engaging in trash talk to promote his fights.
Many believe that Makhachev will likely fight Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title next. However, top-tier lightweight Beneil Dariush and former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion Conor McGregor have also recently expressed interest in fighting for the title. Addressing this, Sonnen stated:
“This Islam versus Charles, Conor versus Charles, Benny Dariush versus Charles, or any of the four that I just named versus each other, is oddly quiet. I mean, nobody’s saying anything about it.”
‘The Bad Guy’ explained that McGregor usually conceals his plans until the very end and likes to be begged to reveal his plans. Sonnen opined that owing to this reason, McGregor’s been quiet in regards to his next move.
The former UFC fighter also highlighted that Oliveira has historically not done a great job of speaking up and promoting his own career.
Furthermore, Chael Sonnen lauded Dariush for recently staking his claim to a lightweight title shot. Nevertheless, Sonnen insinuated that Dariush, who’s expected to return from his injury hiatus no sooner than the end of summer, won’t bag a title fight next due to the injury layoff. Additionally, criticizing Makhachev, Sonnen said:
“Now, Islam, who I believe is being looked at to be pulled out of the Dariush fight and placed into a title fight, You would think you would hear more from Islam. Islam’s also notoriously quiet. He probably believes in something like the laws of attraction. He’s probably got his fingers crossed somewhere. He probably, somewhere, doesn’t want to jinx it.”
Watch Sonnen discuss Islam Makhachev’s lack of promotional skills in the video below:
Anthony Smith outlines Islam Makhachev’s path to victory against Charles Oliveira
While the UFC is yet to confirm an Oliveira-Makhachev matchup for the vacant UFC lightweight title, UFC light heavyweight Anthony Smith has already revealed his pick for the fight. In an edition of Michael Bisping’s Believe You Me podcast earlier this month, Smith picked Makhachev to beat Oliveira.
‘Lionheart’ indicated that Islam Makhachev’s otherworldly wrestling skills and takedowns could help him control and outpoint Brazilian jiu-jitsu savant Charles Oliveira:
"I think Islam by decision only because I think Islam understands the same thing that you and I understand... I think if Islam really chased the takedown and just ... because Charles isn't a fantastic wrestler on the defensive side. Because nobody shoots on him."
Check out the full video below: