Brendan Schaub sparked controversy during his “Thiccc Boy” podcast episode covering UFC 333 when he discussed Islam Makhachev’s withdrawal from a scheduled bout and made inflammatory comments about Muslim athletes in the UFC.
During the October 26th episode, Schaub addressed the announcement that Makhachev had pulled out of a planned January match against Carlos Prates in Toronto, citing Ramadan observance as the reason. What followed was a segment that has drawn widespread condemnation from the MMA community.
“Oh my number one problem. This why he’s not your goat. This is why,” Schaub began. “I know for a fact, kids, ladies and gentlemen, I know for a fact it was pretty much cemented, signed, done deal. Islam was supposed to compete against Carlos Prates in Toronto, January 30th.”
Schaub continued his criticism, stating that Makhachev initially agreed to the match before backing out.
“And then all of a sudden, Islam goes, ‘No, Ramadan. I’m not going to compete against him.’ Now you know Dana bends the knees. He bends the knee to Dagestans, right?”
The podcast host then escalated his remarks significantly. “This is why you got to be careful crowning your champs when they’re from that origin. This is why. They compete once a year. It’s not enough. It’s not good. It delays the division. We can’t move on. It’s tough to create other stars. This is a huge issue. It’s the elephant in the room.”
Schaub then made his most controversial statement: “You can’t have your champs of that religion. You just can’t. You can’t run a business on it. They compete once a year.”
The comments prompted immediate backlash from multiple figures in the MMA community. Makhachev’s manager responded directly to the remarks, stating: “For many years, I’ve tried to help Brandon get a fair shot. But hearing him say that Islam Makhachev doesn’t want him as champion because he’s Muslim is disgusting and uncalled for. I’m deeply disappointed by his words.”
MMA journalist and commentator MMA Joey also weighed in, writing: “Islamophobia, xenophobia, racism, and outright bigotry have become so normalized in the MMA community that people barely even bat an eye anymore. I know nobody gives a care what Brendan Schaub has to say about MMA, but apparently he’s so desperate to cling to whatever tiny audience he has left that he’s resorted to attacking Islam Makhachev and his Muslim faith.”
During the same episode, Schaub praised the announcement of an interim title match between Carlos Prates and Michael Morales.
“They should have stripped his [ ], but they still bend the knee to them,” he said regarding the UFC’s decision to create an interim title rather than strip Makhachev.
