Chael Sonnen slams Shavkat Rakhmonov for his callout of Kelvin Gastelum: “It was about as wimpy as you could do a callout”

By Harry Kettle - May 30, 2023

MMA analyst Chael Sonnen has questioned Shavkat Rakhmonov for his recent callout of returning welterweight Kelvin Gastelum.

Shavkat Rakhmonov

In his return to action last month, Kelvin Gastelum got back to winning ways with a solid victory over Chris Curtis. Ever since then, many have wondered what’s next for him – with Gastelum himself being open to the idea of a move back to welterweight.

As we know, there are plenty of killers at 170 pounds, and that includes Shavkat Rakhmonov. The unbeaten 28-year-old holds a record of 17-0, with many tipping him to be a future champion in the division.

RELATED: SHAVKAT RAKHMONOV CALLS TO FIGHT KELVIN GASTELUM IN RETURN TO WELTERWEIGHT DIVISION

Shavkat recently took it upon himself to suggest a match-up with Gastelum. In the eyes of Chael Sonnen, though, that’s not a great move.

“He [Rakhmonov] called out Kelvin Gastelum,” Sonnen said. “And it was nice, it was friendly, right, I mean it was about as wimpy as you could do a callout while still qualifying as a callout. It was more like a suggestion or an idea that came from him than it was a callout. In fact, it was even a question, ‘Should I be the one to welcome Kelvin Gastelum back at 170?”

Sonnen questions Rakhmonov

“You had a very powerful person say, ‘Your next fight will be for the world championship,'” Sonnen said. “You sat on that for three months, and decided to ask, in question form, about Kelvin Gastelum… There’s so many words I could use to describe Rakhmonov, smart doesn’t make the list.”

Quotes via MMA News

One way or the other, Rakhmonov is destined for big things.

Do you agree with Chael Sonnen? How much of a favorite would Shavkat Rakhmonov be if he stepped in there against Kelvin Gastelum? Let us know, BJPENN Nation!


Topics:

Chael Sonnen Kelvin Gastelum Shavkat Rakhmonov UFC