“Can we please forgive him? Whatever he did to get himself in this weird purgatory, can we also remember that he agreed to be a backup fighter? That he did a training camp, that he flew out to Las Vegas, he went through the commission, he made weight. He was ready to go on a moment's notice. You get something for that.”

– via his YouTube channel (January 14, 2026), making an impassioned plea for the UFC to "pardon" Arman Tsarukyan following the news that the #1 contender was once again passed over for the UFC 324 interim title fight.

“I told you about my altercation with Francis… I only bring that up because Francis didn’t really do anything. I mean, he turned around, and he raised his voice, but that was the same thing i was doing. I’m just not as frightening looking as Francis. I don’t think we can hold against Francis that he happens to be a really frightening looking person. I think that Francis’s actions, for the most part, are probably in line with what a lot of other people would do, but maybe he gets a little bit harsher criticism because he would go into the category of terrifying.”

– via Youtube further reflecting on his own past "altercation" with Francis Ngannou, suggesting that the fighter's imposing appearance might cause people to perceive his normal reactions as more aggressive or intimidating than they actually are.

“I don’t want him stripped. I am on Ilia’s side of it. I don’t really like what he is going through... I also think he is innocent. He seems like a good guy. I don’t think he would have done these things, however, they gotta strip him. If he is not making the claim that he is injured and has some kind of a doctor’s report to back it up... he’s gotta be stripped”

– via podcast clarifying that while he personally supports Ilia Topuria and believes in his innocence regarding current allegations, the standard rules for championship activity necessitate stripping him if no medical excuse is provided.

“If Ciryl comes out of this match with the world championship, Ciryl does not become the greatest heavyweight phenomenon out there, Jon Jones does.”

– Chael Sonnen, via his YouTube channel