Chael Sonnen's comments come after confirmation that Islam Makhachev will vacate his lightweight title and move up to welterweight later this year.
The Russian's decision to target two-division supremacy has stirred debate, with some accusing him of 'ducking' former featherweight kingpin Ilia Topuria.
The Georgian-Spaniard himself is gearing up for a weight switch. With Makhachev leaving the division, Topuria will fight Charles Oliveira for the vacant 155-pound belt at UFC 317 on June 28.
Talk of the Dagestani is expected to heavily feature in the build-up to that fight, and Sonnen is among those less than impressed with Makhachev's avoidance of Topuria.
"The bottom line is you entered a division openly that you said you wouldn't face one of the top guys," Sonnen said during his Good Guy/Bad Guy show on ESPN MMA's YouTube channel.
"That's not a sign of courage. That's a sign of cowardice. I don't love the idea."
Sonnen is no stranger to raising eyebrows with some outlandish takes, but branding the pound-for-pound top fighter in the UFC a 'coward' drew increased attention.
And even before that remark, 'The Bad Guy' was coming under fire from one of Makhachev's former teammates over at American Kickboxing Academy.
After seeing the 48-year-old previously claim that Makhachev "did everything you could conceivably do to not fight Ilia," Josh Thomson responded with a light-hearted accusation of his own regarding Sonnen's apparent disdain towards Dagestani wrestlers.
"I thought it was hilarious," Thomson said during his Weighing In podcast. "If you guys don't know anything about Chael...what I will tell you is he is a Russian/Dagestan wrestling hater.
"I've done promos with him and we've talked about it. ... He will tell you that there's no such thing as sambo, it doesn't exist, it's a stolen judo art, and it's a generic version of American wrestling.
"This is uncle Chael at his finest. He is American through and through," Thomson continued. "If it has anything to do with Russian wrestling or Dagestan wrestling...he's gonna take the other side every single time.
"I actually sent him a text and said, 'I'm gonna roast you, man.' ... You guys believe that Islam fled the weight class to avoid that fight with Ilia? You would also have to believe, then, that Ilia fled his weight class to avoid his fight with [Movsar] Evloev."
For many, Sonnen's comments fit into his persona and perhaps don't fully reflect his genuine beliefs. But there's not the same doubt when it comes to Topuria's use of similar terminology.
During a war of words between the pair on X, Topuria branded Makhachev a "coward," repeating Sonnen's claim that the Dagestani left the lightweight division to avoid their matchup.
"The difference between you and me is that I am a man and you are a coward. I speak and fight, you talk and hide. Run away far, leaving no trace," Topuria wrote.
For now, the pair's feud will remain solely online. With regard to the Octagon, Topuria has his focus on Oliveira and Makhachev will soon target Jack Della Maddalena.
But with Topuria's three-division UFC ambitions, perhaps the possibility of a grudge match inside the cage is not completely off the table just yet.