Islam Makhachev had a successful outing against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284. He successfully retained his lightweight title after winning the bout via unanimous decision. However, the result shocked many people, including the UFC commentator and podcaster Joe Rogan.
The Russian proved to be a tough customer for ‘The Great’ with his next-level wrestling and counter-striking skills. It was undoubtedly the toughest fight for the Dagestani fighter in his UFC career so far. The scorecard from the judges at the RAC Arena in Perth scored 48-47, 48-47, and 49-46 in favor of Islam Makhachev.
THE NEW P4P #1 IN THE WORLD!! 🏆@MakhachevMMA has defeated Alex Volkanovski by unanimous decision! #UFC284 pic.twitter.com/zpqyy7HKZ6
— UFC (@ufc) February 12, 2023
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Makhachev prevented ‘The Great’ from becoming the fifth UFC double champion in front of the latter’s home crowd. However, Volkanovski was successful in controlling the pace of the fight with the backing of his supporters. He also landed more strikes than the lightweight champion.
However, many people believe that the Aussie fighter should have won the bout. Joe Rogan also reacted to this fight during a live stream of his ‘JRE Fight Companion’ podcast.
Joe Rogan shocked at “crazy” scorecard
Brendan Schaub, Eddie Bravo, and Bryan Callen joined Joe Rogan as they shared a live reaction to the UFC 284 event. All of them expressed their shock after hearing the judges scored all in favor of Islam Makhachev. The 55-year-old UFC color commentator said, “Oh, my God. We were convinced (that Volkanovski was going to win). He added, “We might have been biased. We might have to watch it. I don’t know. I mean, I don’t think so.”
Rogan believed that Alexander Volkanovski had the upper hand during the fight and should have won the majority of the rounds. The JRE host continued, “In my eyes, it was 3-2.” He also mentioned that one of the judges’ scores didn’t make any sense.
Rogan said, “Oh, my God. This sucks …one of those scorecards was crazy. Maybe it’s tall poppy syndrome …bro, he [Makhachev] lost that fight, I believe.”
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The famous commentator-podcaster was convinced that ‘The Great’ looked like the frontrunner to win this match. “We’re talking sh*t and we’re drinking. I mean, it seemed to me though that he [Volkanovski] won three rounds. We were pretty convinced.”
Both fighters went toe-to-toe and complemented each other’s fighting style really well. Islam Makhachev got the upper hand in the fights thanks to a key takedown in the last round.
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What are your thoughts on the fight? Let us know in the comments below.
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