Colby Covington vs. Islam Makhachev: Chael Sonnen reveals inside scoop on 'Chaos' plan to fight Makhachev to get even with top welterweight contenders
Chael Sonnen recently weighed in on a potential Colby Covington vs. Islam Makhachev matchup and shared an interesting take on the fight. 'The American Gangster' believes that Covington's plan to fight Makhachev at 170 pounds is a great way for the American to get back at some top welterweight contenders.
Covington is slated to challenge Leon Edwards for the welterweight title at UFC 296 at the T-Mobile Arena in December. Not long after the promotion confirmed the matchup, 'Chaos' revealed that he was confident about becoming the new 170-pound king and wanted to fight Makhachev in his first title defense.
During a recent interview with Helen Yee, Chael Sonnen was asked about a potential Colby Covington vs. Islam Makhachev fight. Sonnen opined that Covington's plan to fight the lightweight champion was all part of a plan that involved getting back at Belal Muhammad.
Pointing out that Muhammad did everything he could to sabotage Covington's title shot against Edwards, Sonnen claimed 'Chaos' is looking to smash Muhammad's expectation of a title shot against the winner of Covington vs. Edwards at UFC 296. He continued:
"I don't want you to miss the great move here. Colby Covington was the No.1 contender... Everybody accepted it. Everybody except one guy, who happens to be Belal Muhammad. Belal Muhammad did everything he could to take that fight. He even got Leon to team up with him."
He continued:
"Belal believes he's going to take on the winner, and Colby's letting you know right now, "I'm already looking in another direction. I didn't forget what you did to me."
Catch Sonnen's comments below (3:07):
Colby Covington vs. Islam Makhachev: UFC lightweight champion accepts potential shot at second title
Islam Makhachev is open to fighting for the welterweight strap and is eager to add another championship to his resume. The Dagestani grappling phenom recently claimed that he's willing to fight the winner of Colby Covington vs. Leon Edwards for the 170-pound title.
Makhachev is booked to face Charles Oliveira in an exciting lightweight title rematch at UFC 294 on October 21 in Abu Dhabi. Given that the lightweight champion gave featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski a shot at the 155-pound strap, he wants the UFC to grant him an opportunity to challenge for a second title in a heavier weight class.
In a recent interview with ESPN, Islam Makhachev reacted to Colby Covington calling him out and said:
"I don’t know what the UFC has planned, but my dream fight is for the second belt... But Edwards vs. Colby, I really believe I can beat [the winner]... I’ve never heard Leon say he wants this fight. But Colby wants it. That’s why I want Colby to win, and we can meet one day." (h/t espn.in)