"He's putting venom out there" - Trash talk genius Chael Sonnen suspects Ilia Topuria's "heel" turn is a calculated strategic move

Chael Sonnen (right) talks Ilia Topuria (left) playing the heel. [Image courtesy: Getty Images]
Chael Sonnen (right) talks Ilia Topuria (left) playing the heel. [Image courtesy: Getty Images]

Chael Sonnen recently weighed in on Ilia Topuria leaning into being a "heel" ahead of UFC 308 and shared his theory about why 'El Matador' is upping his trash-talking game.

Topuria is set to face Max Holloway in a featherweight title clash at UFC 308 next weekend at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Over the past few weeks, Topuria has been taking shots at Holloway via social media/ interviews and vowed to be the first one to knock out the former UFC featherweight champion.

While many saw the Georgian-born Spanish fighter's trash-talking as an attempt to get under Holloway's skin, Sonnen believes "El Matador' is effectively playing the fight marketing game. Speaking to Daniel Cormier on the Good Guy/ Bad Guy show, the UFC icon theorized:

"Do we have somebody that's his strategist to take a look at this vehicle and said, 'Alright, we already have the baby face. There's nothing I can do in this short amount of time to make the fans endear to me as much as they do Max, so I am now the heel.' Is that what's happening?... Is he a gamer? Because he has played this perfectly."

Pointing out Holloway's immense popularity among fans and pundits alike, Sonnen continued:

"He's putting venom out there. He said, 'The only thing that matters about Max is the BMF belt, and he's not even putting it up for grabs.' I mean, he's cutting scathing promos... He's doing everything right and he's made this wonderful fight even more interesting."

Check out Chael Sonnen's comments below (25:40):

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Max Holloway isn't bothered by Ilia Topuria's trash-talking ahead of UFC 308 clash

Max Holloway recently shared his thoughts on Ilia Topuria firing shots at him in the weeks leading up to their UFC 308 fight. 'Blessed' made it clear that he wasn't bothered by Topuria's words and believed the "odd" Georgian-born fighter could be a "fan" of his.

Speaking to ESPN MMA, Holloway addressed getting trash-talked by Topuria and claimed that nobody could get under his skin before a fight. Dismissing 'El Matador's' verbal bombs, he said:

"He’s an odd fella I would say... I think he’s a fan of me... I think deep down inside, he’s really cheering for me, which is kind of weird, but he’s an odd fella. What showed or what did I say or what did I do to show that he’s under my skin?... Nobody can really get under my skin." [H/t: MMA Fighting]

Check out Max Holloway's comments below (8:05):

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Edited by Nishant Zende.
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