"This was done out of pettiness" - Chael Sonnen unpacks Colby Covington's challenge to Islam Makhachev and its ripple effect on Belal Muhammad

Chael Sonnen recently broke down how Colby Covington challenging Islam Makhachev could affect Belal Muhammad.

Covington is set to face Leon Edwards in a welterweight title fight at UFC 296 in December. Soon after the matchup was announced, 'Chaos' expressed his confidence about becoming the undisputed welterweight champion and revealed that he wanted Makhachev to move up to 170 pounds to face him in a champion vs. champion super fight.

The UFC lightweight champion recently defended his title against Alexander Volkanovski again at UFC 294, this time via a spectacular first-round knockout. Before his last outing, Islam Makhachev confirmed he is keen on facing Colby Covington at welterweight and wants to add another title to his record.

In a recent video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Chael Sonnen explained how Covington's challenge to Makhachev was his way of getting back at Belal Muhammad for trying to sabotage the American's title shot against Edwards.

Explaining how Colby Covington called out Makhachev to potentially prevent Muhammad from challenging for a title, Sonnen said:

"Colby came out in an interview three weeks ago and said with a win he wants to fight Islam. Colby didn't say that to get something going with Islam or because he's got some heat with Islam. His No.1 motivation was to find another potential opponent to stick in Belal's a**. This was done out of pettiness."

Catch Sonnen's comments below (1:00):

Sonnen also pointed out that Islam Makhachev may have no exciting challenges at lightweight, given how dominantly the Dagestani grappling phenom defeated Charles Oliveira at UFC 280. For context, 'Do Bronx' has finished most of the top-ranked contenders in his division.

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Colby Covington vs. Islam Makhachev: 'Chaos' on fighting the lightweight champion

It's no secret that Colby Covington has his sights set on fighting Islam Makhachev if he wins the welterweight title against Leon Edwards. Given that the lightweight champion gave featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski two shots at the 155-pound title, the UFC would likely have to return the favor.

Covington hasn't fought since March 2022, when he beat Jorge Masvidal via unanimous decision at UFC 272. Nevertheless, the former interim welterweight champion is confident about making a statement return against Edwards in December.

In an interview with Submission Radio, Colby Covington called out Islam Makhachev and said:

"Leon’s first, and then it needs to be American wrestling vs. Dagestani wrestling... Makhachev knows I’d smack the s*** out of him... I think it would be the biggest and best spectacle the UFC could put on, and that’s what we want to do; the biggest and best fights."

Catch Covington's comments below (6:57):