UFC's Chael Sonnen levels bribery allegations against Mijain Lopez after Cuban makes history as 5x Olympic gold medalist
Chael Sonnen recently shared his thoughts on Cuban Greco-Roman wrestler Mijain Lopez making history after winning his fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Sonnen addressed his dominance in the sport for over two decades and seemingly leveled bribing allegations against the Cuban.
With his latest gold medal win, Lopez has placed himself among the greatest athletes ever to compete in the Olympics. Winning gold for an unprecedented fifth time against Yasmani Acosta Fernández, Lopez cemented himself as one of the most decorated wrestlers in the sport's history, with five Olympic gold medals, five world championships, and five Pan American Games titles.
Given that Lopez is now the first and only athlete in modern Olympic history to win five straight gold medals in the same individual event, it's no surprise that many are curious to know more about his talent.
After one X user asked Sonnen to break down Lopez's 20-year-long dominance in the sport, the UFC icon responded by stating:
"It’s the problem with taking bribes and throwing matches. When people know that you took money to lose, they don’t know that you did not pay money to win."
While there has never been any solid evidence of Lopez being involved in match-fixing activities, there have been rumors about his 2011 Greco-Roman heavyweight world finals bout against Turkey's Riza Kayaalp being fixed in favor of the Turkish wrestler.
UFC lightweight king Islam Makhachev lauds Mijain Lopez after latter's fifth Olympic gold medal win
Reigning UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev recently heaped high praise for Mijain Lopez after the Cuban's latest Olympic gold medal win. The Dagestani grappling savant shared a one-word response to Lopez's victory and took to social media to label him the 'GOAT' of Greco-Roman wrestling.
In a recent Instagram Story, Makhachev shared a screenshot of Lopez walking off the mat after leaving his shoes in the center to mark his retirement from the sport and wrote:
"G.O.A.T."
Check out Islam Makhachev's Instagram Story below:
