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Chael Sonnen Doesn’t Hold Back In Criticism Of Mackenzie Dern: ‘So Unaware Of The Sport…’

Chael Sonnen often finds it frustrating when fighters do not capitalize on the moment by making the most out of their time in the spotlight. As one of the greatest talkers in the history of the sport, “The Bad Guy” was recently critical of one athlete in particular for this side of their personality and […]

Mackenzie Dern came out on top in the first UFC main event of 2025 when she avenged her loss to Amanda Ribas this past weekend. It was an important win for the #6-ranked contender who, with an armbar in the third round, became the first person to submit Brazil’s Ribas in her pro career.

When she was handed the floor in her post-fight interview, Dern spoke about wanting to add to her submission record as she shared the cage with her young daughter. When the conversation turned to what target she is pursuing next, the 31-year old said that her main focus is on building momentum by getting another win under her belt and whilst she would prefer to fight an opponent that is ranked higher than her, she admitted that this might not be possible because she has faced many of the top names in the division in the past.

On a recent episode of ESPN MMA’s Good Guy/Bad Guy alongside Daniel Cormier, Sonnen was fairly negative towards the submission specialist for not placing more emphasis on the entertainment side of the sport by being more assertive.

“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. “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.”

Sonnen believes that whilst she does appear to win fans over, Dern doesn’t do anything intentionally to drive her own stock which he finds baffling.

“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.”

Khamzat Chimaev Should Face Bo Nickal Rather Than Fighting For a Title Explains UFC Veteran

Khamzat Chimaev Should Face Bo Nickal Rather Than Fighting For a Title Explains UFC Veteran Khamzat Chimaev really should face Bo Nickal rather than fighting for the UFC middleweight title, at least according to…

Khamzat Chimaev really should face Bo Nickal rather than fighting for the UFC middleweight title, at least according to one former UFC contender. Chael Sonnen, UFC veteran and current MMA analyst, has sparked debate by advocating for a blockbuster matchup between rising star Bo Nickal and UFC middleweight juggernaut Khamzat Chimaev. While Sonnen’s enthusiasm for the fight is palpable, many fans and analysts believe that Nickal is still far behind Chimaev in terms of experience and skill.

Khamzat Chimaev vs. Bo Nickal

“Bo Nickal versus Khamzat Chimaev,” Sonnen said in a recent interview. “There is nothing I enjoy speaking about more than what would happen with Bo and Khamzat. And I don’t just want to talk about the fight or three rounds versus five rounds.”

“I want the specifics,” Sonnen continued, “Who’s going to go for the takedown, and who’s going to get the other one. Are they going to go for a double leg? Is it going to be over-under? I like that entire argument. Which one is going to get tired first? Which one is going to try the takedown first? Everything about Bo versus Khamzat is exciting for me. Somebody’s ‘O’ has got to go—that line never stopped working in sports.”

The matchup, as Sonnen frames it, would pit two undefeated middleweights with elite wrestling pedigrees against each other in a highly technical grappling battle. However, critics point out that Nickal, who transitioned to MMA in 2022, is still developing his overall skillset. Despite his rapid ascent and top ranking in the UFC middleweight division, Nickal’s level of opposition has not approached the caliber of Chimaev’s. Although, the US-born athlete does come from a storied collegiate wrestling career.

Khamzat Chimaev has built a reputation as one of the most dominant and well-rounded fighters in the division. He is widely seen as next in line for a middleweight title shot. The UFC’s middleweight championship picture will likely become clearer once reigning champion Dricus du Plessis defends his belt against former titleholder Sean Strickland in an anticipated clash later this year.

While Sonnen’s excitement over the hypothetical fight is contagious, many in the MMA community argue that the timing isn’t right. With Chimaev already on the cusp of title contention, pitting him against the still-rising Nickal could stall the momentum of one of the UFC’s most marketable stars.

For now, Sonnen’s proposed showdown remains a tantalizing “what if” scenario. But as both fighters continue to climb the ranks of the middleweight division, the possibility of a future clash may not be as far-fetched as it seems.

Chael Sonnen Exposes Floyd Mayweather’s Payday Claims as ‘One of the Great Lies in Sports’

Retired UFC veteran Chael Sonnen has made waves by challenging the widely publicized claims about Floyd Mayweather’s fight earnings,…

Retired UFC veteran Chael Sonnen has made waves by challenging the widely publicized claims about Floyd Mayweather’s fight earnings, including the staggering payouts reported for his 2017 bout against Conor McGregor.

Chael Sonnen Calls Floyd Mayweather a Liar

Chael Sonnen, known for his ability to stir the pot, labeled Floyd Mayweather’s reported figures as exaggerated and untrue.

“So, I’m just sharing one of the great lies in sport that got told, repeated, and repeated again on ESPN and Sports Illustrated,” Sonnen said in a recent interview. “One of the great lies was the alleged payouts of Floyd Mayweather—none of which were true. That includes the fight with Conor McGregor, where they both supposedly got $125 million. That’s not true.”

Floyd Mayweather is often referred to as “Money” for his incredible financial success. He is widely recognized as one of the most lucrative athletes in history. Over the course of his undefeated boxing career, he reportedly earned more than $1.1 billion, with his two highest-profile fights, against Manny Pacquiao in 2015 and McGregor in 2017, touted as his most profitable. Mayweather reportedly earned approximately $250 million for the Pacquiao fight and $300 million for the McGregor showdown.

However, Chael Sonnen’s comments suggest that those figures may be inflated. At the same time, Sonnen did not provide evidence to substantiate his claims. His assertion is particularly bold given Mayweather’s status as an iconic figure in boxing, with a reputation built not just on his impeccable 50-0 record but also on his ability to generate unparalleled revenue from pay-per-view sales and ticket gates. Mayweather has consistently defended his earning claims, portraying himself as a financial mastermind who capitalized on his drawing power and savvy promotional tactics.

As for Sonnen, the former UFC contender has never shied away from voicing controversial opinions. Though he retired from professional fighting in 2019, Sonnen remains a prominent figure in the MMA community as a pundit and podcast host. Mayweather has yet to respond to Sonnen’s claims, but given his history of addressing criticisms, it wouldn’t be surprising if he weighs in soon. Whether Sonnen’s remarks hold weight or are simply another example of his trademark provocations, they have reignited discussions about the accuracy of reported fighter pay and the myths that often surround combat sports legends.

Chael Sonnen Exposes Floyd Mayweather’s Payday Claims as ‘One of the Great Lies in Sports’

Retired UFC veteran Chael Sonnen has made waves by challenging the widely publicized claims about Floyd Mayweather’s fight earnings,…

Chael Sonnen Calls Floyd Mayweather a Liar

Chael Sonnen, known for his ability to stir the pot, labeled Floyd Mayweather’s reported figures as exaggerated and untrue.

Chael Sonnen Backs Khabib Nurmagomedov On Topic Of Dagestan’s MMA Superiority: ‘It Might Offend You, But…’

Former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen doesn’t believe Khabib Nurmagomedov said anything egregious when outlining his region’s dominance over the rest of the world in mixed martial arts. The topic of Dagestani superiority in MMA has risen to the surface ahead of Usman Nurmagomedov’s Bellator lightweight title defense later this month. The cousin of Khabib […]

Former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen doesn’t believe Khabib Nurmagomedov said anything egregious when outlining his region’s dominance over the rest of the world in mixed martial arts.

The topic of Dagestani superiority in MMA has risen to the surface ahead of Usman Nurmagomedov’s Bellator lightweight title defense later this month. The cousin of Khabib will put his gold on the line in the United Arab Emirates, headlining the PFL’s Champions Series: Road to Dubai event opposite Paul Hughes.

With the challenger hailing from Ireland, comparisons have been made to “The Eagle’s” bad-blood clash with Conor McGregor in 2018. And when it comes to Dagestan and Ireland colliding, Khabib doesn’t think there’s any debate about which region is in front.

In fact, while outlining that on social media, the former UFC champ went a step further and expressed confidence in a Dagestan team getting the better of a squad from around the world in amateur MMA.

During a video recently uploaded to his YouTube channel, Sonnen dismissed any suggestion that Khabib’s remarks weren’t accurate.

“The village that Khabib lives in, there’s 2,000 people, there was seven Olympic champions. Seven of them have Olympic gold medals. That is crazy,” Sonnen said. “2,000, that’s how many people I had in my high school. Khabib’s point of bragging about Dagestan, per-capita versus anywhere on Earth, you might not like it, it might offend you, but there’s no way to say he’s wrong.”

While Usman will be hoping to prove his relative correct come fight night on Jan. 15, when “The Eagle” will be in his corner, Hughes has vowed to upset the Dagestani contingent before throwing an ‘I told you so’ comment the way of Khabib.

Chael Sonnen Fires Back at Darren Till Over Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Ireland Uproar

Khabib Nurmagomedov ruffled some feathers earlier this week when he disparaged Irish MMA. During an interview with the PFL,…

Khabib Nurmagomedov ruffled some feathers earlier this week when he disparaged Irish MMA.

During an interview with the PFL, Nurmagomedov slammed the lack of world-class fighters coming out of Ireland, specifically mentioning Conor McGregor and Paul Hughes — who will challenge Khabib’s cousin Usman Nurmagomdeov for the Bellator lightweight title on January 25 — as the only two worth mentioning.

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While some were quick to point out the obvious omission of surging welterweight contender Ian Machado Garry, former UFC fighter Darren Till snapped back at the Hall of Famer for trying to compare Ireland’s output of MMA talent to Russia, a significantly larger country than The Emerald Aisle.

“I’ve always respected Khabib and his team a lot they are fantastic fighters. But for him to sit there and say fighters from Ireland are low level in comparison of sizes of countries and production. Ireland is actually way ahead Ireland is so fucking small and Russia is so fucking big. Ireland has produced amazing fighters over the years. I would said just over size and production of the country Ireland wins every time and this is not me being biased because I am neither friends with khabibs side or irelands side I’m just stating my opinion.”

Chael Sonnen Corrects Till while commenting on Khabib’s criticism of Ireland

Chiming in, former three-time UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen noted that Nurmagomedov didn’t compare Ireland to Russia, but to Dagestan which is a republic in the Russian Federation.

“That’s not what he said,” Sonnen replied. “RUSSIA was never mentioned. He was clear to say Dagastan. Now i’ll step back, please continue the FITE….”

Comparatively, Dagestan has a population of just over three million while Ireland has 5.2 million occupants.

Make of that what you will.