Chael Sonnen and Islam Makhachev
Chael Sonnen is of the opinion that Islam Makhachev is better than we thought he was and will undeniably fight for the title next
Former UFC fighter Chael Sonnen is downright impressed by the sheer dominance displayed by Islam Makhachev at the UFC 49 main event. Bobby Green stepped in 10 days before the fight as a replacement to the injured Beneil Dariush, and many considered him to be a tricky matchup for Makhachev. The Russian laid to rest any doubts or concerns by finishing Green within the first round.
‘The Bad Guy’ took to his Youtube channel to express how amazed he was by Makhacehv’s performance and also stated that there is no way he can be denied a title shot after that performance.
“There is not a very likely scenario where anybody, no matter their level of power, or their level of rhetorical skill is going to be able to explain that Islam Makhachev is not the next contender.”
Speaking about his dominance Sonnen said, “Islam can beat anybody. Nobody has taken Bobby down like that and kept him down. Nobody has transitioned into a mount with Bobby Green fighting and moving and doing all sorts of things. If it was round four or five, we wouldn’t be having this talk. Bobby was never in shape for round four or five anyway. We’re talking about less than five minutes. It’s not that Bobby is not as good as we thought he was, it’s just Islam is better than we knew he was.”
At the UFC 49 Vegas main event, Islam Makhachev reminded the world that there are levels to this game and he is truly at his prime. His first-round TKO victory against Bobby Green took his streak to 10 and it’s evident by now that the only fight that makes sense for him is a title shot.
Makhachev patiently circled around Green in the initial moments of the fight, and waited for the right opportunity to shoot for a takedown. He initiated the clinch with Green and transitioned into a Russian tie snap, but Green defended the initial advances effectively. However the relentless chain wrestling of Makhachev proved too much for Bobby and he yielded to a double leg attempt by the Russian and almost immediately gave up his back. Makhachev finished the sequence through ruthless ground and pound.
Following the aftermath of the main event, Makhachev confirmed to Megan Olivi of ESPN, that UFC president Dana White spoke to his teammate Khabib and guaranteed a title shot for him next.
He said, “I just smashed my all four opponents. For win streak, I have this last 11 months, and [Dana White] just called [Khabib] and say I am gonna fight for the title next.” When asked about a potential date for the fight, Makhachev said, “Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi, I’m gonna come home soon.”
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