Chael Sonnen has a penchant for turning random moments into big stories. Sonnen’s latest take on Joe Rogan saying that his “security doesn’t know he [Belal Muhammad] is the champion” is a classic example of this. Chael has called it a staged act to “hype” a potential fight between Belal and Conor McGregor.
During UFC 310, Rogan had joked about how Belal was mistakenly stopped by his safety crew. While things were taken in a lighthearted manner at first, it took a heady twist when Conor McGregor jumped in, posting vitriolic voice notes targeting Belal.
Nate Diaz reposted McGregor’s voice note about security stopping Belal Muhammad from entering the octagon.▫️ pic.twitter.com/ss3xOoNGyT
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) December 11, 2024
Suddenly, social media was buzzing about a potential McGregor vs. Belal fight. Sonnen has now attempted to connect the dots with a theory that the entire situation may have been a setup. He believes it was Rogan’s way of lining up Conor’s entry into the discussion.
“Until Conor took his perspective and laughed at him for that,” said Sonnen. It was not a joke at all, it was Joe’s way of helping Conor to take the shot fair game. This is a unique battle because there is a zero times zero chance of that fight happening. Or is there?”
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However, Rogan seems to have said those words in the spur of the moment, sans any ulterior motive. Whether it’s a coincidence or calculated play, Sonnen’s take makes a little bit of sense if not more, especially considering McGregor’s past antics while trying to force his way into the spotlight.
However, as Sonnen himself said, there is almost no chance that this fight will take place. In fact, Belal is not very high on the list for McGregor either. The Irishman knows that it would turn out to be a nightmare matchup for him.
Belal rips apart McGregor for his comments
After UFC 310’s co-main event, where Shavkat ‘Nomad’ Rakhmonov handed Ian Garry his first loss, Welterweight champ Belal entered the cage for a face-off with Nomad. But things quickly escalated away from the Octagon when McGregor took to social media with one of his now-infamous, seemingly intoxicated, and later-deleted rants targeting Muhammad.
Belal didn’t hold back in his response, firing some sharp shots of his own. Speaking with Jake Shields, he called McGregor’s behavior “pathetic” and suggested he’s spiralling.
“You’ve got all the money in the world, but it’s clear you’re not happy. You’re embarrassing yourself,” Muhammad said, pointing at McGregor’s troubles outside the cage, including his legal battles.
He also criticized McGregor’s cheap attempts to stay relevant:
“He always wants to jump into the mix when a big fight happens, but no one cares anymore.”
Muhammad capped it off bluntly, advising McGregor to “get help” and stop dragging the sport down.