Chael Sonnen News

Harry Kettle - November 11, 2025

MMA analyst Chael Sonnen has praised flyweight star Muhammad Mokaev and thinks he’s heading back to the UFC. For the longest time now, Muhammad Mokaev has been viewed as an incredibly exciting prospect at flyweight. During his time with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, it certainly seemed as if he was building his way towards a title shot. Alas, in the end, that didn’t quite come to fruition, and he was instead released following his big win over Manel Kape.

Curtis Calhoun - November 10, 2025

UFC Hall of Famer Chael Sonnen wants James Krause to be excluded from the FBI’s ongoing probe into suspicious gambling activity. It’s been a rough month thus far for the UFC.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - October 26, 2025

Chael Sonnen’s controversial comment post-UFC 321 has a lot of people talking, including a retired standup warrior. During the UFC 321 post-fight show, Sonnen reacted to Tom Aspinall being unable to continue after being poked in both eyes by Ciryl Gane this past Saturday.

Chris Taylor - October 25, 2025

Former UFC title challengers Chael Sonnen and Anthony Smith believe Tom Aspinall should’ve continued to fight at UFC 321. Aspinall (15-3 MMA) was looking to record the first defense of his recently claimed undisputed heavyweight title earlier this afternoon in Abu Dhabi. The Brit had of course been promoted to undisputed champion earlier this summer, this after former title holder Jon Jones announced his abrupt retirement from the sport back in June.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - September 24, 2025

Ronda Rousey recently said she’s finding her love for MMA again after posting training videos, but one UFC Hall of Famer advises fans to not be fooled. Rousey has been out of pro MMA competition since she was stopped by Amanda Nunes in 48 seconds back in late 2016. After she dominated the women’s bantamweight division and secured a perfect record of 12-0, “Rowdy” suffered back-to-back finishing losses before transitioning to the world of pro wrestling. Rousey hasn’t been under WWE contract since 2023 and she got fans buzzing with her MMA training videos.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - September 19, 2025

If Conor McGregor gets his UFC White House wish, could he be sharing the Octagon with an unexpected foe? McGregor has made it clear that he wants in on the UFC’s planned card at the White House in 2026. The “Notorious” one hasn’t competed since 2021, but UFC CEO Dana White insists the Irishman is taking comeback plans seriously. White has said that McGregor is in the drug testing pool and has been training as if he intends to go through with a return to the Octagon.

Harry Kettle - September 9, 2025

Chael Sonnen has questioned why Jon Jones would come out of mixed martial arts retirement if it’s not to fight Tom Aspinall. As we know, Jon Jones recently revealed that he is no longer retired from mixed martial arts. The controversial former UFC fighter has repeatedly said that he wants to fight on the UFC White House card next summer, but according to Dana White, that isn’t likely to happen.

Curtis Calhoun - September 3, 2025

One of Jon Jones’s biggest rivals, Chael Sonnen, agrees with the UFC’s hesitance to have him headline the White House card. Former UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones remains adamant in a 2026 return to the Octagon to fight on the lawn of The White House. Despite UFC CEO Dana White defending Jones numerous times during his polarizing career, White is non-committal in rewarding the retired Jones with a spot on the unprecedented card.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - August 7, 2025

If you ask one UFC analyst, Alex Pereira shouldn’t have been booked in a rematch with Magomed Ankalaev. Pereira lost the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship to Ankalaev back in March. Ankalaev forced Pereira to fight while moving backward, which was unfamiliar territory for “Poatan.” The constant pressure from Ankalaev paid dividends, as he was able to secure the unanimous decision victory to obtain UFC gold for the first time in his pro MMA career.

Harry Kettle - August 5, 2025

MMA analyst Chael Sonnen doesn’t believe it’s fair to question the state of Khamzat Chimaev’s conditioning ahead of UFC 319. As we know, we’re just a few weeks away from Khamzat Chimaev challenging Dricus du Plessis for the UFC middleweight championship. It’s a fight that’s been a long time coming, and it’s one that many are backing ‘Borz’ to win. However, some have questioned the state of his conditioning.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - August 4, 2025

Has the first UFC lightweight title contender for Ilia Topuria been determined? Topuria recently captured the 155-pound gold by sleeping Charles Oliveira in the opening frame of their UFC 317 main event. That’s now three straight knockout wins over future UFC Hall of Famers for “El Matador.” While Topuria has looked like a world-beater, there are enticing challengers for him.

Harry Kettle - June 23, 2025

UFC veteran Jon Jones has issued a vague statement on social media after recent legal issues were revealed. As we know, Jon Jones has opted to retire from mixed martial arts. He’s also vacated the UFC heavyweight championship, with Tom Aspinall now being promoted to the undisputed champion slot. As we look ahead to the next phase of his life, it’s not clear as to whether or not the 38-year-old will opt to return at some point in the future.

Harry Kettle - June 18, 2025

Chael Sonnen has given his thoughts on the possibility of Kamaru Usman facing Shavkat Rakhmonov in a huge welterweight clash. As we know, Kamaru Usman’s win over Joaquin Buckley has vaulted him right back into championship contention at 170 pounds. He was able to prove that he still has what it takes to defeat top guys in the welterweight division, cementing his status as one of the true all-time greats.

Harry Kettle - June 13, 2025

MMA analyst Chael Sonnen has provided a fresh update on the current health status of MMA veteran and wrestling legend Ben Askren. In recent days, it’s become public knowledge that former UFC fighter Ben Askren is currently dealing with a pretty severe health problem. He was admitted to hospital, initially relating to a staph infection, with it later coming out that he was suffering from pneumonia. Ever since then, the mixed martial arts world has been quick to flood his family with messages of support.

BJ Penn Staff - June 5, 2025

Jon Jones and Anderson Silva are without a doubt two of the greatest fighters in UFC history. Jones is the current UFC heavyweight champion, but spent most of his career reigning over the light heavyweight division. Silva, meanwhile, was the long-time champion one division down at middleweight. Unfortunately, the two greats never ended up fighting each other, as Silva’s prime occurred a bit before Jones reached the pinnacle.

BJ Penn Staff - May 26, 2025

Chael Sonnen believes Conor McGregor is aging unnaturally quickly thanks to excessive substance abuse. In fact, he believes McGregor now looks 10 years older than UFC CEO Dana White — which would make him 65 years old. “They did a side-by-side, it was Conor and Dana,” Sonnen said on Instagram (via MMA Mania). “I swear to goodness, Conor looked 10 years older than Dana White, and you could see it in the eyes. You could see the booze in the eyelids and the cocaine in the eyeballs, saying ‘I wanna fight.’ And then you’ve got a promoter who’s the only one with the legal right on the face of the earth to make it so that you can fight, and that promoter is standing there saying, ‘We’re not even close, I’m not even taking his calls right now.’”

Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 19, 2025

One well-known MMA personality believes that Islam Makhachev purposely avoided Ilia Topuria. Makhachev will be vacating the UFC Lightweight Championship once Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira begins at UFC 317. The UFC lightweight title defense recordholder is moving up to challenge UFC Welterweight Champion Jack Della Maddalena at some point. Topuria labeled Makhachev a “coward” for refusing to fight him.

Harry Kettle - May 9, 2025

UFC analyst Chael Sonnen has dubbed Belal Muhammad the third best UFC welterweight champion of all time. Over the course of the last few years, Belal Muhammad has been slowly but surely rising up through the ranks of the UFC’s welterweight division. Now, we’re at a point where he sits at the top of the mountain as the UFC welterweight champion. He has earned that title through commitment, hard work and dedication, and this weekend, he is set to defend the gold at 170 pounds.