'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Chael Sonnen doesn't seem to have the same excitement hardcore fans have for a potential Ilia Topuria vs. Islam Makhachev lightweight title fight. The former three-time title challenger's reason might surprise many.
Topuria's reign as featherweight kingpin will end when the bell rings for the UFC 314 title fight between Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes. Though the UFC has not officially announced his next move, 'El Matador' has hinted his next fight would make people's jaws drop.
Interestingly, Chael Sonnen asserted that a potential matchup between Topuria and Makhachev wouldn't be mind-blowing.
"There would be nothing mind-blowing about him fighting Islam. I would just assume he's fighting Islam. He's the undefeated champion of the world. Islam is the world champion. I would just assume if you vacate and move up, you become the number one contender. This would be my assumption," said Sonnen.
Trending
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
Sonnen noted that Topuria had been calling out Makhachev even before UFC 311, where the lightweight champion submitted Renato Moicano. As such, the 47-year-old pointed out that 'El Matador' has already prepped the MMA community.
Therefore, the three-time UFC title challenger mentioned other ways to describe the potential fight announcement.
"So my only point is, there’d be nothing mind-blowing at all if he was to draw Islam. There’d be other impressive words, awesome, competitive, anticipation. I mean, there’d be other words. But it wouldn’t be mind-blowing at all. To be mind-blowing, he would have to have somebody that wasn't Islam," Sonnen added.
Check out Chael Sonnen's comments about Ilia Topuria below [2:26]:
Ex-UFC champion gives his prediction for Ilia Topuria vs. Islam Makhachev
One UFC champion who has experience fighting both Ilia Topuria and Islam Makhachev is Alexander Volkanovski. 'The Great' has lost via knockout to both of them.
The 36-year-old shared his thoughts about the potential fight between Topuria and Makachev during his recent interview with Demetrious 'Mighty Mouse' Johnson. Though he believes 'El Matador' could knock out any lightweight, the Aussie said he favors Makhachev.
"So I think Islam's going to be a tough matchup for him because Islam can be quite defensive and safe. I think he's going to know he needs to play it safe with Ilia because he knows Ilia is going to have that puncher's chance. But I just think those later rounds are going to be very difficult for Ilia," Volkanovski said.
The former featherweight champion also pointed out that Makhachev is a southpaw, which could complicate matters for Topuria.
Check out Alexander Volkanovski's comments below (1:21:14):
