Former fighter-turned-analyst Chael Sonnen thinks the UFC has a big decision to make regarding lightweight kingpin Islam Makhachev’s future.
Makhachev started his year on the right foot last month, becoming the first champion at 155 pounds to record four consecutive defenses. The Dagestani did so at the expense of late-notice replacement opponent Renato Moicano, whom he submitted in the first round at UFC 311.
Moving forward, the 33-year-old has expressed his desire to achieve two-division glory. And it would appear that the timeframe on that coming to fruition could be short, with Makhachev’s coach suggesting late last year that the Russian could look to depart the sport on top soon enough.
In the eyes of Sonnen, such an event would only be brought about if the UFC forces the champ to remain at 155 pounds — a factor he also saw as the leading cause of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s retirement as titleholder back in 2020.
“Khabib did not retire because he didn’t want to fight Conor (McGregor) a second time. The UFC showed him the wrong numbers,” Sonnen said in an interview with MMA Junkie. “Every time they had a meeting, they showed more commas and more zeros, but it was the wrong number. If they had made the weight class 170 (pounds), they would have caught Khabib for one more fight.
“The number one reason any combat athlete retires is that they don’t want to make that weight anymore. Sooner or later, it bites everybody in the ass,” Sonnen continued. “Islam can either retire like Khabib did. Khabib didn’t want to tell anybody he didn’t want to make the weight, and no combat athlete will ever admit that. … So, they can either eventually part ways with Islam and watch him retire and talk about what could have been, or they can move him out of the goddamn weight class. That’s the truth.”
One potential stumbling block in the way of a welterweight move for Makhachev is the presence of friend and occasional training partner Belal Muhammad on the throne. Because of that, the Dagestani has even pondered a two-division move up to middleweight to challenge Dricus Du Plessis.
It remains to be seen what lies in the future of Makhachev, but in Sonnen’s eyes, a continued stay at lightweight will soon signal the end of the champ’s career.