In a recent podcast episode, the UFC color commentator Joe Rogan had a bold thing to claim. Was Alexande͏r ͏V͏͏o͏lkanovski‘s downfall related to Is͏l͏am͏ Mak͏͏h͏a͏chev rematch? Joe Rogan seems to think so. He recently went on to speak about the fateful UFC 284 match and the rematch at UFC 294. Rogan gave his verdict where he was not happy that Makhachev was given the victory over Volkanovski. He stated that even though it was not a “robbery”, Volk’s downfall came after the Islam fight. 

Nearly everyone who saw the UFC 284 match was surprised about the five-round bout between the two best pound-for-pound fighters. Makhachev managed to defeat Volkanovski in his first title defense fight and the fight was neck to neck from the start. Following the defeat via decision, ‘The Great’ lost the re-match at UFC 294 by a head kick knockout in the very first round. Things went downhill only for Volk post that, as he lost to Il͏i͏a͏ Topuria at UFC 298.

Rogan believes that the losses were somehow connected. In a conversation with BJJ legend Craig Jones, who trained Volk, on JRE MMA Show #157, the UFC commentator reckoned, “When they announced it the rematch part of me was like ‘Oh that’s a great fight.’ The other part of me was like, ‘Oh this is the number one in my opinion.’ This is the fight for number one pound for pound, right?” 

He also cleared that even though Volk won the first fight according to him, he said, “I don’t think it’s a robbery.” Continuing further, Rogan added, “But very close. And I think that puts him as the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world. And then he loses the fight to Islam. He gets caught in that head kick. And then he gets knocked out by Topuria. Now he’s not even in the conversation anymore.”

The judges had awarded Makhachev a unanimous victory, with scores of 48-47, 48-47, and 49-46 at UFC 284. After this controversial bout, ‘The Great’ tried his luck with a rematch, but Makhachev won again. Rogan believed that the rematch was the culprit and said that without it, Volk might not have “fallen apart.” Rogan seemed highly impressed by Alexander Volkanovski as he continued lauding the fighter for his impressive performances over the years. 

Joe Rogan praised The Great

Alexander Volkanovski fought twice against Islam Makhachev but lost both times. The second fight, which was a rematch, closed the deal for the former featherweight champion and he let go of his title. Many people believe that the short notice of the fight which happened in just 10 days hampered his win and also stopped him from winning in the UFC 298 bout. 

However, Rogan was impressed by the fighter and praised him for his stance at dodging Makhachev in a ground fight in UFC 284. He spoke to Craig Jones and complimented the fighter for his ground game. Rogan claimed, “Well, it made such a huge difference. The six to eight weeks, just the fact that he was able to survive on the ground the way he did, and not just that, but not just survive, but be completely safe. He was never even close to being threatened with a submission, you know. And the fact that he was laughing it off and punching him from behind, it’s crazy.”

Now Volk is taking a much-needed time off from the octagon before returning in full force again. Do you agree with Rogan’s opinion regarding the 35-year-old? Let us know in the comments below.