Remember the post-fight octagon interview at the UFC 279 back in 2022? Khamzat Chimaev had finished Kevin Holland with a first-round submission win. And who was there to capture the moment in words? None other than Joe Rogan. As Rogan started, “Khmazat that was an incredibly impressive performance against a very dangerous guy in Kevin Holland but you just ran right through,” Khamzat snatched the microphone away from him and uttered something that he had kind of immortalized.
“I’m most dangerous guy, I kill everyone,” Borz had said. But gone are those days. Well, Khamzat in the Octagon has not changed. Look how he not only finished Robert Whittaker but displaced his bottom row of teeth with a face crank. However, looks like since the birth of his son a year back, the Chechnya native has become remarkably more mellow and respectful in his demeanor. So much so that he thinks he does not have much to say, even on a platform like Joe Rogan’s podcast.
In a conversation with Khamzat, Adam Zubayrev asked Khmazat, “Many fighters really want to get on Joe Rogan But again I know that you’ll say now this isn’t important for you but still, if he invites you Would you want to go?” To this, Khamzat came up with a reply that might break a few hearts.
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“If at a convenient moment, everyone invites, maybe we could, maybe. Maybe it would be interesting to discuss [this] with him. I don’t know what I would talk about with him, it’s completely unclear, somehow. All these questions about sports, fights, and all that – I think I’ve moved past all that, said what needed to be said. I said ‘I want to become champion,’ and all that, and it keeps repeating with everyone,” Chimaev told Zubayrev in his native Russian.
“With all journalists, it’s the same thing, like ‘how’s your health, who do you want to fight there,’ and all that. In many ways, ninety-nine percent, [it] is the same. Well, in life, what will I tell him? I’m an athlete and I don’t even want to [talk more about that]. Many people try to drag all athletes into politics here and there,” ‘Borz’ further stated, adding he did not like to see himself on camera.
Zubayrev wanted to pursue him further saying that Rogan might be interested to know about the Chechen culture. Khamzat nonchalantly brushed aside that as well. “All Chechens have already shown their culture and everyone knows about us. This is not only in sports but in everything,” he said. Notably, the Chechen phenom isn’t fluent in English, which could be a deterrent in a conversation with Rogan.
But we have seen Joey Diaz translating for Yoel Romero in one JRE episode. And why not? Joe Rogan has the biggest and most influential podcast in the world, so much so that Donald Trump was thankful to Rogan for having him on it. When Rogan shared a video of conservationist Paul Rosolie reporting on the Amazon forest burning, it went viral and had millions of people reach out to the wildlife expert to help him protect the South American rainforest. Many UFC fighters even make it a point to ask Rogan for a podcast appearance during their post-fight speeches.
But Khamzat seems to largely be a man of few words who likes to let his hands do the talking. And probably during his time away from the octagon, he is more focused on his family than making an appearance in a podcast. Ahead of his fight against Robert Whittaker, he had shared that he would be going back to Sweden after the fight for surgery of his one-and-a-half-year-old son, who has some kidney disease.
“For me, most important is my family, not the fighting game. So, of course I think about that more,” Khamzat had said, adding that raising his son has been “difficult but fun.” The fighter is so protective about his family that does not even prefer to bring them to the octagon. “Now the guys come with the kids. Gilbert (Burns) come with his wife, kids and I don’t like. Why you take the Kids and wife on fight hotel, press conference, like, you don’t take your family in the war,” Khamzat had said in 2022. He had even praised Nate Diaz for not bringing his family to the octagon. But there are other reasons that Chimaev may consider going on Rogan.
Why going on Joe Rogan’s podcast may be a good idea for Khamzat Chimaev
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Khamzat Chimaev is coming off a fantastic win over former champ Robert Whittaker at UFC 308 last month. With this victory, ‘Borz’ has seemingly regained his place as an official title contender. The native Chechen, of course, was the official #1 contender for the middleweight title after defeating Kamaru Usman last year.
However, he had to turn down a title clash in January 2024 due to an injury, and the division moved on without him. But now, he looks set to fight for the title in his next fight. At the moment, Sean Strickland is next in line to fight reigning champ Dricus Du Plessis for the title after their incredibly close fight this January.
And Chimaev seems set to fight the winner of Du Plessis-Strickland 2, although nothing has been confirmed by the UFC yet. The fans, of course, are incredibly excited about this since Chimaev is perhaps the most hyped fighter this fighter has ever seen. It is worth remembering that Rogan was one of the people who helped hype up Chimaev so much. Fans will remember the UFC commentator positively glazing ‘Borz’ on his podcast, which helped catapult Chimaev into superstardom.
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During the JRE Fight Companion, MMA aficionado Joe Rogan, instantly said: “You give him the title shot”, before adding: “Once he gets a hold of you, it’s so dangerous.” Rogan was so blown away by the Khamzat’s performance in the Robert Whittaker fight that he suggested Chimaev may be the best middleweight in the world. He exclaimed: “He didn’t get touched; he ran through him, and he strangled him in the first round. He might be that guy, dude.”
While the undefeated middleweight doesn’t really need to go on Rogan since he is such a big name, it couldn’t hurt, especially before he fights for the title. After all, it could only help him sell more PPVs. What do you think about Khamzat Chimaev’s take on a possible ‘Joe Rogan Experience’ appearance?
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