Khabib Nurmagomedov Shuts Down Joe Rogan and Others While Giving His Final Verdict for Alexander Volkanovski vs. Islam Makhachev Fight Months Ago

Islam Makhachev and Alexander Volkanovski will lock horns once again. Their rematch will take place at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi. Meanwhile, when it comes to their first fight, Joe Rogan recently claimed that Volkanovski was the real winner. However, Khabib Nurmagomedov dismissed those claims and stated that his protégé successfully defended his title.

The main event of UFC 294 was initially scheduled to be a rematch between Charles Oliveira and Islam Makhachev. However, ‘Do Bronxs’ suffered a nasty cut on his head during training, which forced him to pull out. As such, Alexander Volkanovski stepped in on just 11 days’ notice. Meanwhile, Khabib Nurmagomedov shared his take on the first fight between ‘Volk’ and Makhachev. Let’s see what he had to say.

Khabib Nurmagomedov shuts down Joe Rogan’s claims

The UFC released their ‘Countdown’ video for UFC 294 as we enter fight week. The focus of the video was Islam Makhachev this time as he sat down with his mentor and rewatched the UFC 284 fight. The result of the UFC 284 main event was surrounded by controversy. Many people had different takes on the winner of the fight.

Despite Joe Rogan claiming that Alexander Volknaovski won that fight, Khabib Nurmagomedov begged to differ. The Hall of Famer claimed that Makhachev had clearly won the majority of the rounds against the featherweight champion. He stood in support of Islam Makhachev, who had also been claiming that he had won the fight all these months.

“First round, second round, and fourth round, for sure [Makhachev won]. Third round, okay, [it was] fifty-fifty. That’s it,” said Khabib Nurmagomedov. He further added, “It was three-two or four-one, one hundred percent Islam defend his title.”

Moreover, Islam Makhachev echoed the same sentiment as his mentor. He was pretty sure about winning three or four rounds against Alexander Volkanovksi. The lightweight champion added, “In the fight, I know. In my mind, I think I won three or four rounds.” Meanwhile, Khabib Nurmagomedov also mentioned how things differ between winning and defending a title.

‘The Eagle’ gave his take on winning and defending a championship title

Khabib Nurmagomedov has never lost a fight. His record speaks for itself. Although he did not defend his title as much as some of the other champions in the promotion, he claims that defending a championship is just a normal feeling. Nurmagomedov said, “When you defend the title, this is great.”

However, things are different when a fighter wins the title for the first time. MMA fighters around the world dream of becoming a UFC champion. Winning the championship is considered to be the outcome of the hard work they put in every day. Similarly, Khabib Nurmagomedov felt the same thing when he captured his first title, which is a totally different feeling from defending it. “It’s never gonna be the same as when you win the UFC title,” said the Hall of Famer.

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The debate regarding the real winner from the main event of UFC 284 will hopefully end this weekend. Alexander Volkanovski has another chance to become a double champion, while Makhachev would look to silence his doubters. We will have to wait and see how things unfold for both fighters on October 21st.

Who do you see winning at UFC 294? Drop your comments below.

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