UFC icon nukes Islam Makhachev online, Jon Jones talks Nate Diaz brawl, Daniel Cormier questions Ilia Topuria's decision making: MMA News Roundup

In today's edition of Sportskeeda MMA News Roundup, we have Chael Sonnen launching a fresh tirade against Islam Makhachev on social media. Meanwhile, Jon Jones shared a behind-the-scenes account of Nate Diaz's brawl in a Russian reality show, and Daniel Cormier questioned Ilia Topuria’s decision to part ways with his longtime coaches ahead of UFC 317.

Let’s break it all down:

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Chael Sonnen launches fresh attack against Islam Makhachev after recent comments

Islam Makhachev’s leap to welterweight triggered a verbal takedown by Chael Sonnen. After Makhachev dismissed Sonnen as an “average athlete” who talked his way to fame, the American fired back on X with a string of brutal jabs.

Sonnen mocked Makhachev’s drawing power, claiming the Dagestani champ couldn’t sell out a barn brawl without help. Sonnen went further, boasting that both Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov once leaned on him for promo material. He framed Makhachev’s jab at his legacy as a desperate bid for relevance.

Sonnen took to X and wrote:

"When you're tired of rolling around in front of bored crowds and drawing fewer viewers than a Hog-Hollerin' contest, get in touch. You won't be the first guy from your gym who begged me for material...In fact, it wouldn't be the first time YOUR guy and the OTHER [Irish] guy BOTH used material they begged me to give 'em to become interesting..."

Check out Chael Sonnen's X posts below:

Chael Sonnen claps back at Islam Makhachev. [Screenshots courtesy: @ChaelSonnen on X]

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Jon Jones talks about Nate Diaz's brawl at reality show

While filming in Russia alongside Jon Jones, a casual scuffle escalated into an all-out brawl when one of the contestants decided to play-fight with Nate Diaz. If history is proof, play fight isn't a term in Diaz's dictionary.

According to Jones, Diaz arrived already on edge due to past beefs with Russian fighters, and things exploded when a fighter named Zalik tried to get playful. That triggered the Stockton native, forcing the production team to replace him entirely.

Jake Shields, a longtime teammate of Diaz, later hinted that old tensions with Khabib Nurmagomedov’s camp may have sparked the hostility. Sharing his side of the story on the brawl in an interview with Red Corner MMA, Jones said:

“He wanted to play-fight with Nate. Nate kind of came in a little bit on edge. I think he had some previous beef with some Russian fighters, so he was a little bit on edge when he got here. Play-fighting with Nate was not the best idea. It became serious right away, and we had to replace Nate.”

Check out Jon Jones' comments below:

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Daniel Cormier questions Ilia Topuria's decision to leave his team

Daniel Cormier believes Ilia Topuria is playing a dangerous game. Just weeks before his UFC 317 lightweight title fight against Charles Oliveira, the undefeated Spanish-Georgian split from longtime coaches Jorge and Agustin Climent, ending a relationship that began when he was a teenager.

The separation, reportedly amicable, comes at a precarious time. Topuria has moved his camp to Madrid, distancing himself physically and emotionally from the team that helped him rise to 16-0 with back-to-back knockouts over legends like Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Sonnen said:

"If I'm Ilia, I'm still just using those guys because even if I have to do my training camp with someone else, I know that those guys know me so well, that if they can get with me for a week, two weeks, we are still so aligned, especially if there's no bad blood, we're still so aligned that we will get through the fight, and we will still be able to coexist. Not only coexist, but also we gel. This is the team that got him from a young, young man, to being 16-0 and a UFC champion. Beating the two greatest featherweights of all time. So to have that familiarity is very important to an athlete. ...To me, that's a little bit odd."

Check out Daniel Cormier's comments below (3:30):