Joe Rogan’s recent comments about Alexander Volkanovski’s first fight against Islam Makhachev have sparked a heated debate among the UFC fandom. On the recent JRE (Joe Rogan Experience) MMA Show no. 157, Rogan was joined by Craig Jones, renowned BJJ expert and grappling coach for Volkanovski. Their conversation touched upon ‘The Great’s attempt at becoming a ‘champ-champ’ when he took on lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev at UFC 284 in 2023.

The fight went the distance and at the end of the 5 rounds, Makhachev was declared the winner via unanimous decision and handed Volkanovski the first loss of his UFC career. However, according to Joe Rogan, he believes that the Australian won the fight.

He stated, “When Volkanovski fought the first time, and he was perfectly prepared, it was an amazing fight, I thought he won. I thought it was very close but I thought he won. Round 2, I think was the difference, and I could see round 2 going either way but I gave it to Volk.”

Rogan further went on to state that he was apprehensive when Volkanovski agreed to a short notice rematch at UFC 294 as he felt that, “I believe Volk won the first fight, although very close, I don’t think it was a robbery, but very close. And I think that puts him as the no.1 P4P fighter in the world.”

The podcast host also acknowledged that the rematch was highly anticipated but expressed concerns that Volkanovski’s subsequent losses to Makhachev and Ilia Topuria derailed his momentum and removed him from the pound-for-pound best conversation. But the comments have drawn massive backlash from the fans, who disagreed with his assessment of the fight as they claimed that Rogan should be removed from the UFC for his “bias”!

Let’s take a look at what the netizens had to say.

Fans call for Joe Rogan’s ‘expulsion’ from the UFC for his take on Islam Makhachev’s win against ‘The Great’

Fans claimed that even though they too were supporting Volkanovski in his first clash against Islam Makhachev, they disagreed with Joe Rogan’s assessment that ‘The Great’ won that bout.

“that was more of a 49-46 Islam than Volk victory, and I was rooting for Volk”

Others slammed Rogan for his “bias” as they pointed out that no matter who you support, the fight was a clear decision victory for Makhachev.

“crazy take cause if you put away your bias, that fight was an obvious 3-2 for islam, 4-1 isnt even a stretch”

Fans also questioned Rogan’s credibility in analyzing MMA fights, citing past controversial opinions to prove their point as they wanted the UFC to “expel” him.

“Yeah pls expel Joe Rogan from UFC. His MMA takes are always horrendous. I remember him saying 5th round winner always takes the fight.”

One fan claimed that Joe Rogan’s “takes” are those of a “casual” fan and even implored the podcast host and UFC color commentator to “put the pipe down” as they felt he was making impaired decisions with his take,

“Again Rogan with the biased casual takes. Dude needs to put the pipe down.”

Another fan re-iterated their concern with Rogan’s “casual” take.

“Rogan is so casual some times”

Some fans even brought up the fact that Rogan was present at the event but still provided a biased take despite the events unfolding in front of his eyes.

“that’s crazy bc he was literally there and it was 4-1 for Islam lol. Love Volk but the bias is crazy”

One fan even brought up a past take from Joe Rogan where he had claimed that Jorge Masvidal would be able to beat Georges St.Pierre as evidence of their issues with his opinions.

“The same man who said masvidal would beat gsp”

In conclusion, while Rogan’s insights are respected, his recent comments have shown that even experienced analysts can face criticism from the fans. The debate over Volkanovski and Makhachev’s fight highlights the subjective nature of fight scoring and the intense scrutiny placed on public figures like Joe Rogan.

Do you think Islam Makhachev lost the first fight against Alexander Volkanovski as Joe Rogan has claimed? Why or Why not? Share your thoughts in the comments below!