Islam Makhachev proved his mettle in the toughest fight of his MMA career at UFC 285. He went toe-to-toe with Alexander Volkanovski and won the fight via unanimous decision. However, recently rumors have surfaced regarding his retirement from the sport. UFC legend and analyst, Chael Sonnen, has given his take on the situation.

Islam Makhachev saw his mentor and stable mate Khabib Nurmagomedov retire from all aspects of mixed martial arts. ‘The Eagle’ wanted to travel less and spend more time with his family. Moreover, after his historic win at UFC 280, Makhachev visited his hometown and revealed that he had a conversation with his mother who wanted him to “wrap up” his MMA career.

However, the lightweight champion has maintained that he has no plans to retire anytime soon after he posted a tweet recently asking for the next fighter. But Chael Sonnen believes that Makhachev is unsure about his stance on retirement.

Chael Sonnen claims Dana White will soon hear from Islam Makhachev regarding his retirement

‘The American Gangster’ said that Makhachev has given a lot of reasons for the possibility of him retiring. But he ponders what UFC president Dana White would do. Sonnen said, “What would Dana Say? He calls Islam and Islam tells him the same thing that at one point Khabib [Nurmagomedov] said, which is ‘I’m done.” The UFC legend also claims that the lightweight champ’s mother has put him in a tough position.

Chael Sonnen mentions that the UFC is about to lose Islam Makhachev sooner rather than later. He believes that from a professional standpoint, the Dagestan native has achieved almost everything he wanted. Hence, this could be a reason for him to retire. “With a certain degree of success, I feel pretty confident telling you we’re going to lose Islam. Islam is done,” said Sonnen. He added, “I mean everybody has to leave the sport for some reason.”

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Islam Makhachev is now 31 years old. His mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, retired at the age of 32 after his fight against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254. Chael Sonnen believes Makhachev will most likely follow suit and retire in the coming months. But the Russian hasn’t made any official announcement yet, but his subtle references and stories about his mother’s request could be a sign of his eventual retirement.

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