Chael Sonnen reveals who he thinks Islam Makhachev should fight next after his big win at UFC 267
Chael Sonnen has put forth his opinion regarding who he feels Islam Makhachev ought to face next. ‘The American Gangster’ has suggested that a fight between Makhachev and Justin Gaethje would make sense for both lightweights.
In an edition of Beyond the Fight, Chael Sonnen noted that Justin Gaethje is set to fight Michael Chandler at this weekend’s UFC 268 event. He indicated that irrespective of whether he wins or loses that fight, Gaethje could fight Islam Makhachev next.
“So, possibly that [Islam Makhachev vs. Justin Gaethje] is the answer. Possibly Justin Gaethje is your guy. Don’t forget – It doesn’t matter if Gaethje beats Chandler or not. If Islam can get into the top five, Islam can go and fight for the belt. That’s the piece that everybody wants to miss. Guys don’t even know how the goddamn rankings work.”
He continued:
“If Gaethje gets beat (by Chandler), Gaethje is still a top-five guy. Gaethje’s gonna want to get back on the horse, I would imagine; go through Islam, come right back in. I mean, they’re partners. They both have to have something. It’s a very rough game. All chips are in at all times. It’s a very rough game. But make no mistake, we’re still partners. You gotta bring something. I’ll bring something. Winner take all. And no, there’s no part of me that guesses that Gaethje, with a victory or without one, goes into Islam. But he’s the first one to start speaking about it. I’m just speaking purely to what Islam needs. Islam doesn’t need another win. He doesn’t need another beautiful increase on his record. He doesn’t need anybody else to come out and speak on his behalf. He’s got to get on the docket with a star.”
Chael Sonnen also alluded to the recent social media feud between Gaethje and Makhachev’s teammate Daniel Cormier.
You can watch Chael Sonnen expound upon what’s next for Islam Makhachev in the video below:
Islam Makhachev could leapfrog Justin Gaethje to a title shot
Islam Makhachev secured a dominant first-round submission win over Dan Hooker at UFC 267 on October 30. Meanwhile, Justin Gaethje is set to fight Michael Chandler at UFC 268 on November 6.
Additionally, reigning UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira is scheduled to defend his title against Dustin Poirier at UFC 269 on December 11. The belief is that either Islam Makhachev or the winner of the Gaethje-Chandler fight could face the winner of the Oliveira vs. Poirier for the title in early 2022.
Nevertheless, an important factor in this equation is that Justin Gaethje is coming off a loss. A win over Michael Chandler would be Gaethje’s first since May 2020. On the contrary, Islam Makhachev is on an incredible nine-fight win streak.
Their respective streaks could prove to be the difference and result in Makhachev leapfrogging Gaethje to a UFC lightweight title shot.