What happens if Islam Makhachev loses? That’s the question Chael Sonnen is wondering about.
Earlier this year, Makhachev vacated his lightweight title and announced his intention to move to 170 pounds and challenge newly crowned champion Jack Della Maddalena for the welterweight belt. While the bout has yet to be made official, rumors have been circling that the UFC is planning the matchup for its annual Madison Square Garden card in November, fueled in part by both Makhachev and his coach, Khabib Nurmagomedov, saying as much.
And with the possibility of the superfight now fresh in the minds of MMA fans, UFC Hall of Famer Chael Sonnen did some ruminating on the matchup.
“It’s a great match,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel. “It’s a lot closer match than you think it is. It’s also a pivotal match, where two different divisions, where two different athletes, where two different worlds go from here. What an incredibly difficult position to put Islam in if he loses. Now you’re going to have a choice, are you going to run back to 155? Which, by the way, isn’t the way you left it. There’s a new king. Or do you start re-climbing the ladder at 170?
“It’s an interesting question. Not one that I believe Team Islam is considering. I believe they are expecting to win.”
Sonnen believes that could be a mistake. Yes, Makhachev is the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world right now, but Della Maddalena is no slouch. Undefeated in his past 12 fights, “JDM” soundly beat Makhachev’s friend and occasional training partner Belal Muhammad to claim the title, and he’s the naturally bigger man.
“The reality is Jack is one hell of a hard fight,” Sonnen said. “His style and his skill – if Jack weighed 170 and Islam weighed 155, Jack could beat him. If they both weigh 170, it will make it harder on Jack. … If they were the same and Jack just had that small advantage, it would be enough. Jack is right there with Islam.”
Of course, if this all backfires and Makhachev loses, Sonnen says there is a silver lining.
Heading into 2025, fans were clamoring for a possible champ vs. champ matchup between Makhachev and Ilia Topuria, only for both men to move up weight classes. Topuria kept the dream alive by winning the lightweight title this summer, and while it’s far from a guarantee, Sonnen says the only way fans may get the fight they want is for Della Maddalena to score the upset.
“The only way you’re going to get Islam and Ilia is if Jack wins,” Sonnen said. “Now, that doesn’t guarantee Islam-Ilia, and it certainly doesn’t help to make that fight more interesting, but it’s the only way you would even have a chance of getting Islam to weigh 155 pounds again.”
