Chael Sonnen | UFC Betting Sites - The Best MMA Online Bookies

‘Big Cap from Chael’ – Joaquin Buckley Calls Out Sonnen for Downplaying Colby Covington Loss

‘Big Cap from Chael’ - Joaquin Buckley Calls Out Sonnen for Downplaying Colby Covington Loss Joaquin Buckley doesn’t appreciate Chael Sonnen trying to downplay his win over Colby Covington in December. Closing out the…

Joaquin Buckley doesn’t appreciate Chael Sonnen trying to downplay his win over Colby Covington in December.

Closing out the UFC’s year in sunny Tampa, Florida, ‘New Mansa’ delivered a dominant performance against the former three-time title challenger, earning a doctor’s stoppage TKO in the third round of their welterweight headliner.

Sonnen, who was in Covington’s corner that new, ultimately threw in the towel after Covington sustained a nasty cut over his right eyelid. But despite watching his fighter get bloodied and battered for nearly three full rounds, ‘The American Gangster’ did his best to console Covington backstage.

In a video clip, which you can see below, Sonnen went through a list of things ‘Chaos’ did well and suggested that the outspoken Trump supporter was beginning to “turn the tide” before the stoppage came.

Needless to say, Buckley didn’t appreciate Sonnen trying to discredit the biggest win of his career.

“It’s big Cap from Chael, you know,” Buckley said of Sonnen’s post-fight comments during an interview with Parry Punch. “Sometimes you gonna say whatever you got to say in order to, you know, protect Colby. But, you know, people saw it. You know what I mean? People—people saw the fight. They can already see that I was not slowing down. I was actually picking up the pace.”

Joaquin Buckley wants to headline UFC Kansas City with Kamaru Usman

Following his win over Covington, Buckley called for a clash with former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. ‘New Mansa’ echoed that same sentiment later on in his interview with Parry Punch, suggesting the two could headline the promotion’s return to Kansas City on April 26.

Unfortunately for Buckley, Usman doesn’t sound too interested in fighting the rising contender. At least, not yet.

Chael Sonnen Warns UFC: Move Islam Makhachev To 170 Or Watch Him ‘Retire Like Khabib Did’

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 […]

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.

Colby Covington Joins Chael Sonnen’s Coaching Team For TUF Series vs. Daniel Cormier

UFC welterweight contender Colby Covington will be returning the favor after having Chael Sonnen in his corner late last year in Tampa. During the UFC 311 pay-per-view broadcast last month, the promotion announced the coaching lineup for its upcoming 33rd edition of The Ultimate Fighter reality series. While the show traditionally pitches active fighters against […]

UFC welterweight contender Colby Covington will be returning the favor after having Chael Sonnen in his corner late last year in Tampa.

During the UFC 311 pay-per-view broadcast last month, the promotion announced the coaching lineup for its upcoming 33rd edition of The Ultimate Fighter reality series.

While the show traditionally pitches active fighters against each other as they coach teams before doing battle themselves inside the cage, this year will see two former competitors and current podcast co-hosts lead the rosters.

Ex-title challenger Sonnen and former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier will take a break from discussing the world of MMA on ESPN’s Good Guy/Bad Guy show to go head-to-head as TUF coaches.

And in a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Sonnen became the first to divulge which prominent names he’s adding to his coaching team for the season, including Covington.

“The head coach will be Clayton Hires,” Sonnen said. “Clayton Hires is my coach, he’s my mentor. He is not my assistant ever. He will be the boss. I will have on the jersey: ‘Clayton’s Team.’ It will consist of me, it will consist of ‘Cowboy’ Steve. He’s going to do what generally Mike Dolce would do in terms of helping these guys with their weight, their nutrition, their strength and conditioning.

“I would never do an Ultimate Fighter (series) without bringing the greatest grappler, Vinny Magalhaes. The last man to beat Gordon Ryan I might add, and he beat Gordon easily. That’s just the truth,” Sonnen continued. “And Colby Covington. Colby is going to to come in.”

Sonnen was notably in Covington’s corner for his unsuccessful UFC Fight Night main event opposite Joaquin Buckley last December. “Chaos” lost by way of doctor’s stoppage after sustaining damage that “The Bad Guy” admitted left him pondering throwing in the towel.

Season 33 of TUF is set to air every Tuesday on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+ from May 27, 2025.

Colby Covington Joins Chael Sonnen’s Coaching Team For TUF Series vs. Daniel Cormier

UFC welterweight contender Colby Covington will be returning the favor after having Chael Sonnen in his corner late last year in Tampa.

During the UFC 311 pay-per-view broadcast last month, the promotion announced the coaching lineup for its upcoming 33rd edition of The Ultimate Fighter reality series.

And in a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Sonnen became the first to divulge which prominent names he’s adding to his coaching team for the season, including Covington.

“The head coach will be Clayton Hires,” Sonnen said. “Clayton Hires is my coach, he’s my mentor. He is not my assistant ever. He will be the boss. I will have on the jersey: ‘Clayton’s Team.’ It will consist of me, it will consist of ‘Cowboy’ Steve. He’s going to do what generally Mike Dolce would do in terms of helping these guys with their weight, their nutrition, their strength and conditioning.

“I would never do an Ultimate Fighter (series) without bringing the greatest grappler, Vinny Magalhaes. The last man to beat Gordon Ryan I might add, and he beat Gordon easily. That’s just the truth,” Sonnen continued. “And Colby Covington. Colby is going to to come in.”

Season 33 of TUF is set to air every Tuesday on ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+ from May 27, 2025.

‘Team Good Guy, Team Bad Guy’ – Daniel Cormier & Chael Sonnen Announced As Coaches For Season 33 Of The Ultimate Fighter

Quickly following the announcement that the producer of the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, Craig Piligian, will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this year, the next set of coaches for TUF were announced on the UFC 311 broadcast. A fourth man appeared in the commentary booth as Jon Anik revealed that Daniel […]

Quickly following the announcement that the producer of the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, Craig Piligian, will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this year, the next set of coaches for TUF were announced on the UFC 311 broadcast.

A fourth man appeared in the commentary booth as Jon Anik revealed that Daniel Cormier and Chael Sonnen will go toe-to-toe on the upcoming season.

Unlike most instalments of the show, season 33 will not build to a fight between the coaches when everything wraps up. What you are guaranteed is plenty of hi-jinx between the two men who often co-host ESPN’s Good Guy/Bad Guy show, where they comment on the biggest talking points in the sport.

The two men briefly went back and forth on the broadcast, setting the stage for what is sure to be an entertaining series between two of the biggest personalities in the sport. Further details including the weight classes that will feature on the series are yet to be revealed.

Both Cormier and Sonnen have been team captains in the past, with Sonnen coaching against Jon Jones back in 2013 and Cormier going up against Stipe Miocic in 2018.

This will be the fifth consecutive year of TUF following the three-year hiatus between 2018 and 2021.

Chael Sonnen Unleashes a Fiery Verdict on Mackenzie Dern After Ribas Victory

Chael Sonnen really wants to see Mackenzie Dern succeed, though he has no idea why. Nearly six years removed…

Chael Sonnen really wants to see Mackenzie Dern succeed, though he has no idea why.

Nearly six years removed from their first-ever meeting inside the Octagon, Dern evened the series against strawweight rival Amanda Ribas, scoring a third-round submission victory via armbar to move her UFC record to 10-5.

Over the years, Dern has emerged as a favorite among fight fans. Unfortunately, the BJJ sensation has done little to capitalize on her popularity — something Sonnen says goes back to before her move into mixed martial arts.

“I could not go back over Mackenzie’s career and hand her one compliment on anything she’s done from an entertainment aspect,” Sonnen said on Good Guy/Bad Guy with Daniel Cormier. “I couldn’t tell you one time she had a microphone in her hand and turned it into a pipe bomb. I could not tell you one opportunity that she pushed everybody else aside and came and got it for herself.

“I could tell you before she made her UFC debut, a guy named Chael Sonnen called her to do a pure grappling match, straight up jiu-jitsu against somebody called Miesha Tate, who was one of the biggest names in the whole sport, and there was no amount of money to get Mackenzie on the airplane to do the match. Her reasoning? She wants to focus on MMA. So, I’m attempting to explain to her that if you want to break into MMA, this is Miesha Tate, come get your money, and she never did it” (h/t MMA Junkie).

Chael Sonnen insists Mackenzie Dern is ‘Unaware of the sport’

With an impressive showing against Ribas and four Fight Night headliners in her rearview, Dern had an opportunity to get on the mic and shoot her shot. Instead, Dern remained humble and stressed that she was in no rush to challenge for a world title.

In Sonnen’s eyes, it was a massively missed opportunity and further evidence that Dern is simply “unaware of the sport.”

“She decides she needs to get better at jiu-jitsu, she leaves her father, Wellington ‘Megaton,’ one of the biggest stars there is, goes out with Jason Parillo in California and starts hitting mitts which got her nowhere than missing punches and blocking shots with her face,” Sonnen added. “I’ve never seen Mackenzie get it right. Everyone likes her, myself included, everyone seems to be rooting for her for reasons I really can’t explain to you, myself included.

“She looks like she does really care about this sport. She talks about some of her hardships and things outside the ring which do compel you very much to her, but as far as understanding what makes dollars has got to make sense, she doesn’t know what any of those words mean. I’ve never seen a second-generation athlete so unaware of the sport that’s going on around them.”