Chael Sonnen has voiced strong criticism regarding Magomed Ankalaev's absence from the vacant light heavyweight title fight. Sonnen pointed out that Ankalaev holds a 1-1 record against Alex Pereira and is the only fighter to have defeated Pereira. Despite this, Ankalaev was not considered for the title bout. Sonnen expressed confusion over why the division's most spectacular fighter (Rountree), most intriguing (Hill), or most accomplished (Ankalaev) were excluded. He argued that the current title fight features the wrong participants, stating that neither fighter is the right choice for the championship bout.
