Chael Sonnen opens his heart in criticizing Islam Makhachev: 'He lacks enthusiasm'

Islam Makhachev holds titles in two UFC weight classes. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram.

First ranked pound-for-pound in the Ultimate, Islam Makhachev has won 16 consecutive fights in the world's largest MMA organization. All this success also guaranteed the Russian the lightweight (up to 70,3 kg) and welterweight (up to 77,1 kg) belts. However, the triumphs ended up generating an unpleasant effect, at least for Chael Sonnen , who spoke about the subject in a video published this Thursday (2).

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In a humorous manner, the American gangster said he had difficulty being intrigued by Makhachev's fights, due to the fact that the Russian usually dominates his opponents and doesn't take great risks. In his last performance, he defeated Jack Della Maddalena by unanimous decision and became the new welterweight champion (up to 77,1 kg).

“I simply don’t think there’s any enthusiasm for Islam. Islam is magnificent. Islam has reached a level of greatness that it’s hard to imagine anyone could handle, and if you can’t believe anyone could handle it, you can’t get excited about the fight,” the former fighter stated.

Chael Sonnen says it's hard to get excited for Islam Makhachev because he looks too dominant 😆🔥

"I just don't think that there is an excitement for Islam. Islam is great. Islam has reached that level of greatness where it's hard to think that somebody could deal with that,… pic.twitter.com/M2dgx3JDa1

— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) April 2, 2026

Away from the octagon since his victory against the Australian, Makhachev has no official return date. However, Dana White recently stated that negotiations are pointing towards August.

Makhachev has already had his share of tough times in the UFC.

Volkanovski (left) and Makhachev (right) at UFC 284. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram

Despite not having lost since 2015, Islam's journey in the world's biggest MMA event has not been without its challenges. In his first fight against Alexander Volkanovski , the Russian had to overcome adversity to emerge victorious by unanimous decision, even suffering a knockdown in the final round.

Later, he also had to work hard to finish Dustin Poirier with a triangle choke in the fifth round. The Diamond survived the initial attacks and even managed to cut the champion's forehead with a short elbow strike.

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