Schaub Clarifies Controversial Makhachev Comments

Former UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub is backtracking after drawing fire for comments about Islam Makhachev and Muslim champions.

Schaub initially criticized Makhachev's prolonged absence from competition during a recent episode of his Big Brown Breakdown podcast, according to BJPenn.com. The lightweight champion pulled out of a January 2027 bout against Carlos Prates at UFC 336 for undisclosed reasons, with Ramadan observance expected to keep him sidelined until mid-to-late 2027. Schaub's reaction was blunt: he argued the promotion cannot build a business around champions of that faith because of limited fight frequency.

Schaub's Walkback After Social Media Firestorm

After MMA account Happy Punch shared a clip of the remarks, criticism mounted in the replies. Schaub posted a clarification on social media attempting to reframe his position. "This was a much larger point taken out of context," he wrote, per the report. "Religion isn't the point; it could be a number of reasons a fighter isn't active. My point was you can't build stars if they're not active."

He added that his entire commentary was misguided because Makhachev is already a superstar, closing with a terse "Move on."

The lightweight champion's next title defense remains unscheduled. Prates and Michael Morales will compete for an interim belt at UFC 336 in January.

Reported via:

• BJPenn — Brendan Schaub responds to backlash over controversial Islam Makhachev remarks