"Colby, 'Poatan', Ilia, 'Suga', Jon... should I continue" - MMA X erupts as Ali Abdelaziz calls Islam Makhachev the "biggest star" in the UFC

Islam Makhachev has witnessed a meteoric rise in the UFC after joining the promotion in 2015. He reigns as the UFC lightweight champion and is ranked as the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter as of now. Recently, Ali Abdelaziz called him the "biggest star" in the UFC, evoking reactions from MMA fans.

Makhachev undoubtedly is one of the most prominent champions in the company. The 33-year-old scripted history in the UFC this past year by defeating Renato Moicano to complete four consecutive successful title defenses at UFC 311.

Abdelaziz took to X and made a bold claim of Makhachev's stardom while ignoring major stars of the global MMA promotion by writing:

"@MAKHACHEVMMA is the biggest star in @ufc today."

As soon as Makhachev's manager posted the post, MMA fans gathered in the comments section and offered their reactions. One of them counted the names of some major UFC stars while disagreeing with Abdelaziz:

"Colby, Poatan, Suga, Ilia, Jon... should I continue"

Another fan reminded him of Alex Pereira and wrote:

"Then you wake up to reality did you forgot that Alex Pereira still exists? Lol"

A fan expressed his disagreement with Abdelaziz by writing:

"biggest star? nah... best fighter? probably."

Check out some more fan reactions below:

Screenshot courtesy: @AliAbdelaziz00 on X's comments section

---

Chael Sonnen reacts to Jon Anik's call for a title shot for Justin Gaethje against Islam Makhachev

Justin Gaethje secured a unanimous decision victory against Rafael Fiziev at UFC 313 in a lightweight showdown.

Like many other fight experts, UFC commentator Jon Anik felt it is reasonable for Gaethje to fight for the lightweight title against Islam Makhachev.

Chael Sonnen reacted to Anik's comments on his YouTube channel while counting other contenders who are lined up with consecutive victories on their backs. He said:

"When Anik says something I cannot help but wonder is he speaking from overhearing something or somebody shared something with him, and when you do a lot of talking, and you're told a lot of secrets, you see where that could happen. ...Justin Gaethje is 1-1 in his last 2, but before you think that's the worst record to get a title shot, I think Volkanovski is 1-3 in his last 4 and he is fighting for the belt. ...I mean you can get beat and fight for the title, you can jump right back on track... it's hammer vs. hammer."

He added:

"So, it's not as though opportunities were being taken and he's certainly very good, and it's certainly a very good match up and you'd at least know what you're getting... I mean when Jon Anik made that statement I'm just wondered, does he mean that Justin Gaethje did such a good job that we should appreciate it much that he absolutely could fight for a title next. ...That's the part that got me hung up."

Check out Chael Sonnen's comments below (2:05):