"What else could they do?" - Chael Sonnen explains why Ilia Topuria deserves to dethrone Islam Makhachev in UFC’s P4P rankings

Chael Sonnen recently shared his views on why Ilia Topuria deserves to be at the top of the UFC Pound for Pound (P4P) rankings, ahead of Islam Makhachev. While explaining that, he emphasized the current standings of both fighters in the promotion.

'El Matador' won the vacant lightweight championship at UFC 317 after defeating Charles Oliveira with a first-round knockout. This bout came into fruition after Makhachev vacated his 155-pound title to move up to the welterweight division.

In a recent video on his Instagram, Sonnen pointed out that since Topuria is a reigning champion and Makhachev is not, Topuria deserves the top spot in the P4P rankings. He said:

"The rankings came out. They put Ilia [Topuria] number one. Does that surprise you? Guys, what else could they do? You wanna argue Ilia and Islam [Makhachev] in a mythical fight. It's like Batman versus Superman. It's Lebron [James] vs. [Michael] Jordan. So, now you just wanna argue over resume. One of them is the world champion, and one of them is not."

He added:

"You can say, 'Yeah, Chael.' But as many times as you would like it doesn't change the statement. Ilia is the world champion [and] Islam is a number one contender."

Check out Chael Sonnen's comments below:

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Chael Sonnen believes Ilia Topuria is a threat to Islam Makhachev's dominance

Islam Makhachev has been a dominant force in the UFC, currently on a 15-fight win streak. As the lightweight champion, he successfully defended his title four times before confirming his move to the welterweight division.

While many believe there are few elite fighters capable of challenging Makhachev, Chael Sonnen holds a different opinion. In a recent video on his YouTube channel, Sonnen pointed out that Ilia Topuria, comparatively, has the potential to end Makhachev's dominance, saying:

"You've got this debate or at least a discussion now about Ilia [Topuria] and Islam [Makhachev]. You really never had that with Islam... I'm just sharing, they came out with a mythical odd [and] Ilia is close. He's a 2-1. Islam would beat him 2-1. This is a mythical odd. But Paddy [Pimblett] in the same mythical odds is 6-1 against him. Arman Tsarukyan is 3.5-1, favored to lose to Islam. The tightest is Ilia Topuria."

Check out Chael Sonnen's comments below (6:10):