Joe Rogan Ends Debate on Khabib & Islam Makhachev With Blunt Verdict on Live TV – “He’s So Complete”

Retiring as a champion with an undefeated streak of 29-0 was unheard of until Khabib Nurmagomedov did that. As such, there’s no doubt that people often bring his name up when they talk about the G.O.A.T. of MMA. But Joe Rogan has a different opinion on this issue, as he made a case for the lightweight champion and Nurmagomedov’s protégé, Islam Makhachev, to be a better fighter.

Islam Makhachev fought in arguably the toughest fight of his career last weekend at UFC 302. Dustin Poirier had most of the answers to his moves, but he did manage to get hold of ‘The Diamond’ and submit him to seal the win on his third title defense. And having witnessed that performance while sitting cage side, Joe Rogan claimed that Islam is indeed better than Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Islam Makhachev has eclipsed his mentor, claims Joe Rogan

Islam Makhachev made a believer out of Joe Rogan after winning the back-and-forth contest against Dustin Poirier. The fact that he was able to strike well against an accomplished striker like ‘The Diamond’ and finish him off with a submission was all the 56-year-old commentator needed to claim that the reigning lightweight champion was well-equipped in all aspects of MMA fighting.

“Finishing off with that D’arce choke is absolutely gorgeous. Just beautiful technique. He’s so complete. He’s complete everywhere,” Joe Rogan stated during the UFC 302 broadcast. Furthermore, he made a comparison between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev, claiming that ‘The Eagle’s prowess was mostly limited to his excellent ground game. But his protege, on the other hand, has become a better striker, which he showcased against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 294, along with his grappling skills.

“Khabib was always this smothering grappler… this ruthless ground-and-pound submission artist, but Islam knocks guys out, standing. The head kick to Volkanovski speaks to that,” Joe Rogan further stated. With the Dustin Poirier fight, the UFC commentator believes that Makhachev is only going to get better as a fighter.

“He’s just knocking down Oliveira. He’s so good everywhere, and this fight is just going to add more layers to his experience, and he’s going to be better coming from this,” Joe Rogan added. But guess what? While Rogan made some praiseful comments on Islam Makhachev, Dana White seemingly shot down his status as the best pound-for-pound fighter.

Dana White favors Jon Jones as the P4P king, as Team Khabib refutes

Yes, you’ve heard it right, and many fans are aware of it. Dana White thinks that as long as Jon Jones is active as a fighter, there’s no one close to the level that ‘Bones’ is to be called the best P4P fighter in the world. And how did Islam Makhachev react? He holds that status currently, after all, and the lightweight champion did not seem to care much about the UFC CEO’s claims. But he did clear the air regarding the fact that he saved the UFC 302 PPV.

On the other hand, AKA coach Javier Mendez also stepped in to back Islam Makhachev, dismissing Dana White’s P4P claims about Jon Jones because Islam has been more active than the heavyweight champion. If that’s not all, getting out of that tough situation with a win is what makes Makhachev the best, according to Mendez.

“He proved that he’s the real champion, and in my opinion, he is pound-for-pound, because he went through adversity, he conquered adversity. Not one time did he falter. Not one time did he think that he wasn’t in the game. He was always pushing, pushing, pushing, pushing,” the AKA coach told Red Corner MMA.

What do you think of Joe Rogan’s assessment of the better fighter between Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov? Let us know in the comments section.