Former UFC fighter Chael Sonnen has responded to Jorge Masvidal’s recent comments, reframing Masvidal’s accusations about steroid use into a critique of Masvidal’s career approach. This exchange occurs as Masvidal’s bare-knuckle promotion, Gamebred FC, prepares for its 2026 events in the Dominican Republic and Miami, featuring tournaments with substantial prize money.
The latest dispute began when Masvidal, speaking on a podcast, accused Sonnen of dishonesty regarding UFC return talks and alleged that Sonnen used “seven different PEDs” throughout his career. Masvidal then extended a challenge for Sonnen to compete in a bare-knuckle MMA bout under the Gamebred banner, making dismissive remarks and suggesting he would “beat the f***ing lesbian out of you” even while moving up to heavyweight.
In his conversation with Ariel Helwani, Sonnen instead interpreted Masvidal’s clean record as a sign of a career not fully maximized. Sonnen stated, “Jorge Masvidal did not respect his own career enough to stick a needle in his ass every now and then. He’s at one of the dirtiest gyms in the history of sport, but he did it the right way. I’ve got to give him that, he never cheated.” This sentiment aligns with Sonnen’s long-standing practice of acknowledging his own PED history while suggesting that fighters who remained clean may have been less committed.
Sonnen’s perspective touches upon his own past, specifically his positive test for elevated testosterone levels following his UFC 117 loss to Anderson Silva in 2010, a case that became a prominent drug-related incident in modern MMA. This history often resurfaces when Masvidal references “seven different PEDs,” though Sonnen has previously argued that the use of performance-enhancing drugs is just one of many choices a fighter might make.
For now, this conflict remains a verbal sparring match, amplified through social media, rather than a confirmed contest. Masvidal’s Gamebred promotion provides him a platform to continue his callouts, while Sonnen, as a prominent podcaster and media personality, is well-positioned to respond to each development.