Islam Makhachev cannot take Michael Chandler down and keep him there, claims Chael Sonnen

Chael Sonnen has proposed Michael Chandler's name as a potential contender who can dethrone Islam Makhachev. Sonnen acknowledged that the Dagestani champion currently looks almost flawless to the point where just preventing him from gaining the top position can be counted as a victory for his opponent.

According to 'The American Gangster', Chandler has the skill set to defend Makhachev's takedown. More importantly, Sonnen believes that 'Iron' can get back to his feet without compromising his position even if he gets taken down. The 45-year-old said on his YouTube channel:

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"If we had somebody and they fought all night with Islam and stop Islam from getting on top, could we agree that would be a victory to some degree? Because I don't think that Islam can go take Michael Chandler down. That's my belief. I believe that Michael Chandler could stop the takedown. Moreover, if Chandler slips and goes down, I believe that Chandler can get back up onto his feet, turn and face him and start back in neutral."

Watch Sonnen's comments at the 3:50 mark of the video below:

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Michael Chandler takes back his words on Islam Makhachev

Many believe that Islam Makhachev seemed overconfident going into his UFC 280 clash against Charles Oliveira. This also included Michael Chandler, who claimed that praising the Dagestani sensation was premature as he hadn't faced high caliber opponents. This also led to an online back-and-forth between the two, with Makhachev taking a dig at Chandler's UFC record.

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Makhachev Islam

@MAKHACHEVMMA

Haha., your only two win in UFC is Hooker who came out of loss, and Tony who has 5 losses in the row now., please shut up and stay in line🤐 twitter.com/MMAFighting/st…

MMAFighting.com

@MMAFighting

.@MikeChandlerMMA calls the praise of Islam Makhachev "premature."

"He hasn’t really fought anybody. That’s really the truth."

Full interview with @DamonMartin youtu.be/Or8vIFifmio

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.@MikeChandlerMMA calls the praise of Islam Makhachev "premature."

"He hasn’t really fought anybody. That’s really the truth."

Full interview with @DamonMartin ▶️ youtu.be/Or8vIFifmio https://t.co/rFtfrzeN9i

Haha., your only two win in UFC is Hooker who came out of loss, and Tony who has 5 losses in the row now., please shut up and stay in line🤐 twitter.com/MMAFighting/st…

However, Islam Makhachev's best response was at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi during the UFC 280 main event. The Dagestani dominated Oliveira en route to a second-round submission win, proving his detractors wrong.

Chandler, like many others, admittedly stood corrected and accepted Makhachev as the new lightweight king. 'Iron' said in a recent interview with MMA on Point:

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"Islam proved that he was who he said he was. I stand corrected. He is our champion and I hope I can go out there on November 12 can win my fight, and get that title shot soon."

Catch Chandler's full interview with MMA on Point below:

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