Was Conor McGregor ever good enough to beat Khabib Nurmagomedov? A controversial question, but it’s also an insightful one if you are really interested in the nuances and evolution of mixed martial arts. The Irishman has (or had) what Firas Zahabi called ‘the touch of death.’ His left-hand shot won him two UFC world titles and five career MMA world titles. How does it compare to the high-pressure fighting style of the Russians? Joe Rogan took up this question during a chat with a guest on his podcast.

Speaking to Ari Matti on episode #2186 of the Joe Rogan Experience, the UFC commentator highlighted the dominance that Islam Makhachev and Umar Nurmagomedov were showing in the promotion. He said, “You got guys like Islam that could do everything and Umar. This is the difference. Like Islam is scary standing up. Like in the beginning of his career, he was really good at wrestling not as good at standing up. But now he’s just as good at standing up. When you KO Volkanovski like that, you know. And then you choke out Dustin Poirier like that.”

Matti agreed. He labeled the Russians’ style ‘frustrating.’ The reason? These fighters were not doing anything ‘incredible.’ For Conor McGregor, he said there was the ‘death touch’ that knocked out opponents instantly and made their wins incredible. But for guys like Khabib, it was a much different approach. As much as you hate their wrestling-heavy approach, there was nothing their opponents could do about it.

For Joe Rogan, this is where Makhachev and Umar make a difference. The JRE host said, “That’s the full thing, right? He[Islam] can head-kick you. He can strike with you and knock you [out]. He knocked out Gleison Tibau with one shot standing… And he could still strangle you, and he could still smother you. It’s the perfect combination. That is such a crazy strategy.”

According to Rogan, Makhachev mastered this style by not trying to be a specialist in one style but being great overall. The 56-year-old had a few words to spare for Umar as well. He said, “I think the difference between Umar versus Khabib is his standup. His standup is so dynamic. His kicking is so dynamic. It’s so dangerous and quick. He throws head kicks off the front leg quick. He throws things that are fast.”

In fact, Umar’s bantamweight rival and divisional title holder Sean O’Malley‘s camp agrees with this. ‘Suga’s team had also recently commented on Umar’s ability to throw dynamic kicks with his front leg.

Rogan’s words truly must’ve hyped up fans to witness Islam Makhachev in action again. So when can we expect him to fight? Well, it seems like it will have to be a long wait.

Injured Islam Makhachev might not return this year

Islam Makhachev will not defend his lightweight belt in Abu Dhabi as many had expected. Javier Mendez confirmed the injury of the Dagestani that could probably keep him out until the beginning of 2025. “Yes, he’s got a ligament injury, and he’s getting consultation from different doctors, and we’ll see what they say he has to do,” Mendez told Helen Yee. “But yeah, he’s not going to be able to train for a fight till probably late (November-December), or maybe January.”

Makhachev was coming off his third title defense with a fifth-round submission against Dustin Poirier in the main event of UFC 302. The champion was expected to defend his crown against Arman Tsarukyan in the main event of UFC 308, but given this withdrawal, the fight that would headline the event would be Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway on October 28. But while the date has been moved, as per Mendez, Tsarukyan is likely to remain as the top challenger for the fight.

As per the latest rumors, the lightweight showdown might be on the cards to headline UFC 310 in December. Interestingly, this is the date Conor McGregor wants for his return bout since the injury cancelation of his UFC 303 fight. So here’s another stage where Makhachev and McGregor could compete to edge the other out. What do you think? Who will get the December date? More importantly, who do you want to see? Let us know in the comments.