Jorge Masvidal says Chael Sonnen started taking shots after missing out on a Deep Waters role, and now Masvidal wants the feud settled in an MMA fight.
Masvidal made the claim in a video posted by Ariel Helwani, saying Sonnen tried to land a spot on Deep Waters, a Paramount show Masvidal says he is doing with Din Thomas, Dustin Poirier, and Chris Weidman. The latest exchange follows Masvidal’s earlier response to Sonnen questioning his UFC White House comeback talk.
Masvidal is a former UFC welterweight contender, the inaugural BMF titleholder, and owns the fastest knockout in UFC history at five seconds. Sonnen is a retired UFC title challenger and longtime analyst who fought for UFC titles at middleweight and light heavyweight.
Speaking in Helwani’s video, Masvidal claimed Sonnen avoided appearing on the show.
“He said I can’t, I can’t deal with the mental pressure,” Masvidal said. “This guy’s gonna break me online. So Chael, I get away. He didn’t come on the show, you coward. Look, you couldn’t even come in the show.”
Masvidal then explained why he believes the feud heated back up.
“Listen, in all honesty, Chael’s doing bad in life,” Masvidal said. “I know he’s like on this fifth mortgage, so I really don’t like beating him up too much, but I understand why he’s mad. He just started taking shots out of nowhere.”
Watch the clip below:
Jorge Masvidal reveals why his feud with Chael Sonnen has been reignited:
“In all honesty, Chael’s doing bad in life. I know he’s on his fifth mortgage… He applied for this new gig I got over at Deep Waters by Paramount. It’s me, Din Thomas, Dustin Poirier, and Chris Weidman.… pic.twitter.com/Huf9fjUc4C
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) April 29, 2026
Masvidal Claims Sonnen Wanted A Deep Waters Role
Masvidal said Sonnen applied for the same media job tied to Deep Waters, then took the rejection personally.
“He applied for this new gig I got over at Deep Waters, Paramount,” Masvidal said. “It’s me, Din Thomas, Dustin Poirier, Chris Weidman. We’re going live every Monday live, calling the fights, talking all types of s*** because it’s like a podcast and not like a desk job where we have to be censored.”
Masvidal also claimed Sonnen tried to win over the production team before being passed over.
“Chael’s b**** ass showed up with coffee, flowers, f****** baked goods for everybody, sucking d*** and kissing ass to all the producers, and they told him, kick rocks, fly a kite,” Masvidal said. “They gave me the f****** job. So now he’s mad, he’s taking shots.”
Masvidal said Sonnen now has two options.
“Chael, shut the f*** up,” Masvidal said. “I got a proposition. We either fight at my show and I’ll give you a nice paycheck, or you shut the f*** up. Don’t bring up my name no more. You’re a coward. I don’t want to keep talking. I hate this back and forth s***. We either fight like men or shut the f*** up. That’s it.”
Helwani asked whether an actual offer had been made. Masvidal said there had been past boxing discussions and claimed Sonnen’s asking price was unrealistic.
“In the past for boxing, I’d made him an offer and he didn’t take the offer,” Masvidal said. “He wanted like $27 million. But we’re gonna make him a fight in MMA, see if he accepts it at heavyweight because I know his badass can’t do anything else.”
Masvidal also said the fight would not happen in the UFC.
“He got kicked out of UFC,” Masvidal said. “That’s only happening in my show.”
Masvidal closed by bringing up Sonnen’s history with failed drug tests, while saying he still wants the fight.
“Let’s never forget that this is like the most caught guy with PEDs in the system,” Masvidal said. “If we take him to the UFC, they’re gonna test him again, he’s gonna fail. I know that he’s gonna be on PEDs fighting against me, and I’ll still do it.”
Masvidal has not competed in MMA since his April 2023 decision loss to Gilbert Burns at UFC 287, where he announced his retirement from the sport. Sonnen’s last MMA fight came in June 2019, when he lost to Lyoto Machida at Bellator 222 before retiring. That gap is why any Masvidal vs. Sonnen fight would be a comeback bout for both men rather than a normal short-notice grudge match.
