You're Welcome! With Chael Sonnen

Chael breaks down Real American Freestyle, starting with Dillon Danis prodding Arman Tsarukyan at the press conference until Khamzat Chimaev came off the stage -- and the moment Chimaev bent down to fix his shoe that nearly sent security into full panic. Danis cut nine pounds under lockdown, showed up, and competed -- Chael says that deserves credit. Jordan Burroughs took on the U23 champion Mikey Caliendo and lost on criteria -- last score -- but looked anything but done. Vito Arujau gave up a 9-point lead to Rivera in a 22-point thriller. Jordan Oliver and Ridge Lovett delivered what the crowd called the people’s main event. Back to UFC: Petr Yan beat Merab Dvalishvili and Chael questions whether one body shot is enough to win a round when the other guy controlled everything else for three rounds. Alexander Volkov crashed a Volkanovski press conference as a fan, got a moment with Dana White, and Chael says it’s time to push for his title shot. Volkanovski proposes a double-retirement fight with Gaethje at 155 -- Chael says it almost never happens, but the real card Volk played is the threat of Aljo instead. Islam Makhachev sits out for Ramadan, an interim title is created for Prates vs. Morales, and Chael asks: can you still call Islam the undisputed champion?

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Chael makes the case that Josh Hokit is one win away from being the King of MMA -- the first ever undefeated, undisputed heavyweight champion -- and argues Bruce Buffer’s criticism of how Hokit talks proves nothing, because nobody wants the opposite. Mike Perry has split from Bare Knuckle FC in a mutual, drama-free parting with promoter Dave Feldman, and Chael says every MMA org should sign him right now -- he is the hottest free agent on the market. Bo Nickal and Gable Steveson have a backstage feud brewing at Real American Freestyle, and Chael asks whether Gable could go heel. Rizvan says the Islam Makhachev vs. Paddy Pimblett fight is far from done, which means Michael Morales may still be in play, and Shara Magomedov’s callout of Morales -- like Ian Garry’s before it -- was allowed to go cold. Chael closes with Ask Uncle Chael: Buckley is not getting cut, Jon Jones’s cocaine confession moment explained, and a Shell station robbery story starring his godson Lad.

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It is fight week and Volkanovski faces undefeated Movsar Evloev. Volk says he will stop Evloev and then call out Gaethje - Chael is enamored. He will not get that fight, but the fact that it is what drives him tells you everything about Volk. Dricus Du Plessis says he wants to go to 205 after getting his belt back at 185. Chael supports the 205 move but says the math does not work - go now, do not wait. Shara Magomedov went 16-0, 7-0 in the UFC and got released. Chael says someone on his team failed him - you do not let a fighter make that walk without a new deal in place.Charles Oliveira pushes back on critics saying his ground game disqualifies the BMF belt. Chael backs Charles: you bring your skills, the other guy brings his, whoever walks out is the BMF. Sean Strickland and the Imavov fight - UFC says the contract was just redone, so Sean is not leaving. But something changed, and Chael is not sure renegotiating gets him anywhere.

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Bruce Buffer called Josh Hokit disrespectful - Chael says Bruce started it and has it backwards. Hokit fought on the South Lawn, is headed to MSG for a heavyweight title shot, and had sponsors remodel his house. That is not a guy doing it wrong. Henry Cejudo says Alex Pereira is spoiled with opportunities - Chael dismantles that take point by point. Pereira started as a 36-year-old kickboxer on undercards, had to make 185, beat Sean Strickland just to get to Izzy, then won the belt the hard way at 38. He got dealt from the bottom of the deck and climbed anyway. Paddy Pimblett is hot on Ilia Topuria’s trail, but Chael thinks he is looking in the wrong direction. The two fights that actually move Paddy toward a title: Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira. Ask Uncle Chael covers folkstyle wrestling, villains in storytelling, the Trevor Prangley tap that wasn’t, and the right order of business versus wife.

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Brendan Allen came out and said nobody likes him - Chael breaks down why it might be true and what fixes it. The short answer: fight Dricus Du Plessis. Jon Jones calls not fighting at the White House his biggest life regret - which means his biggest regret is probably not fighting Alex Pereira. Jones is staying in the testing pool, which means he isn’t fully retired. Khamzat Chimaev’s camp wants him at 205, but Chael isn’t buying the size claims - the guy showed up to a Russian exhibition at 193 pounds without cutting. He’s a middleweight. Anthony Joshua kept his Fury fight in the UK and wants credit for it - Chael isn’t impressed. The real fight is Dana White vs. Eddie Hearn, and Ariel Helwani thinks Eddie has Dana beat. Andre Fili wins, pulls his punch at the buzzer, and then says “I’m a criminal, not a bad guy.” Chael has line envy.

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Sean Strickland says he’s done fighting for UFC money. He’ll move to 205, burn out his contract, then go box Jake Paul for a big bag. Chael discloses his bias upfront, then explains why those specific words could get Strickland stripped and why a healthy champion holding out never ends well. Coach Ray Longo moved the line on Pereira-Pavlovich: is Alex too small for heavyweight, or did Ciryl Gane just outbox him? Chael makes the case it was skill, not size. Then Valentina Shevchenko was stripped with no public explanation, reportedly against her wishes. Chael asks the question nobody’s asking: is the greatest fighter in UFC history being mishandled, and does she even know what a story she’s sitting on?

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Sean Strickland wants $1 million to fight Nassourdine Imavov — the deal stalled, and now Oliveira vs. Lopes for the BMF title headlines UFC 335 instead. Chael breaks down what that means for Imavov, who's been sitting out healthy and willing while the clock runs. Then the Pereira-Pavlovich breakdown: why the worst possible matchup is actually the perfect one for Alex. Plus Ask Uncle Chael covers Payton Talbott's O'Malley callout, the case for making that fight a true semifinal, RAF coaching rankings, and whether Gable Steveson has a glass jaw.

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Eddie Hearn bans Dana White from the Fury-Joshua press conference, but Nick Khan shows up anyway. Chael breaks down the contract language and explains why the real fight is off-camera. Scott Coker launches Ki MMA as a purist alternative just as a CBS numbered event puts Valentina's flyweight title on the line in a legit number one contenders match. Chael makes the case for shortening fight duration as the single best safety fix in MMA, and explains how 25 minutes became standard by complete accident. Then the full Gable Steveson defense: Olympic champion, WWE, NFL, bare knuckle, MMA job-hopper or once-in-a-generation athlete? Plus: Paddy Pimblett calls for TUF coaching against Ilia Topuria, Alex Pereira gets an opponent, and Johnny Walker moves to heavyweight.

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Dana White and Eddie Hearn are at war over the Fury-Joshua fight, and Chael breaks down who's right, who's telling the truth, and why the feud itself is bigger news than the fight. Then: Justin Gaethje is on a media tour and Chael reads between every line - what he's really saying about Arman Tsarukyan and what comes next. Darren Till beats Yoel Romero at bare knuckle and Chael explains why the right guy won, knockdown and all. Finally, Tom Aspinall is out with an eye injury, Ciryl Gane is undisputed, and Chael digs into the subconscious reasons fighters don't come back when the matchup waiting for them is a hard one. You're welcome.

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Chael's got a Volkov problem. The man does everything right, beats everybody, and still can't get what he deserves. Chael explains exactly why, and what Volkov needs to do about it. Then: Justin Gaethje breaks down the lightweight division, says Ilia Topuria is too small for 155, and tells everyone don't call him until next year. Chael reads between the lines. Paddy Pimblett took a tough loss to Arman Tsarukyan - is he done or just dusty? Plus oblique kicks, heel hooks, and should the UFC be banning things? Ask Uncle Chael closes it out. You're welcome.

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