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11 Years After Khabib Nurmagomedov’s UFC Debut, Joe Rogan Opens Up on Massive Game-Changing Influence Brought on by Ex-Champ’s “Disciples” – “They Just Crush You”

Published 06/01/2023, 4:53 AM EDT

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Over his two-decade-long career in the UFC, Joe Rogan has seen generational talents come and go. One of them was the Dagestani grappling phenom Khabib Nurmagomedov. The longtime UFC commentator has always deeply admired Nurmagomedov’s ground game.

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s undefeated resume is a testament to his greatness. The former lightweight champion’s ground game is a puzzle that remains unsolved. ‘The Eagle’ laid down his gloves in 2020 at UFC 254 after his third title defense. Still, his grappling skills are widely discussed in mixed martial arts circles.

Being a BJJ black belt himself, Rogan could not help but marvel at the ease with which the Combat Sambo world champion dominated and submitted Jiu-Jitsu specialists. In a recent episode of ‘The Joe Rogan Experience,’ Rogan gave props to ‘The Eagle’ and several other fighters that followed him to the UFC from the mountains of Dagestan.

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In a recent episode of the ‘JRE MMA Show’, Rogan hosted UFC strawweight contender Gillian Robertson. The Canadian starlet is one of the more promising female contenders on the UFC roster. With a 12-7 professional record, Robertson is a submission specialist with 9 submission wins. Hence, Rogan was in good company to discuss the grappling prowess of Khabib Nurmagomedov and other Dagestani fighters.

Joe Rogan heaps praise on Khabib Nurmagomedov

In episode #140 of the ‘JRE MMA Show,’ Joe Rogan discussed grappling skills with Gillian Robertson. Talkin about Robetson’s ground game, the 55-year-old segued into the topic of Khabib Nurmagomedov and Dagestani grappling.

He told Robertson, “You look at the guys from Dagestan, all the Khabib disciples- Islam Makhachev, Khabib [Nurmagomedov], those guys they just crush you. They get on top of you and crush you.” Rogan continued, “When you see really good high-level submission artists get smushed by guys like Khabib, you’re like ‘Wow.’ It’s like there’s layers and layers to everything.”

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Speaking of the former champion’s technique, Rogan said, “And we didn’t know the layer of controlling the legs with the legs until Khabib came along and did it. I mean, he would do it so thoroughly. You’d be like, ‘Jesus Christ!’. He does this to everybody. He didn’t have a bad moment.”

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Two years hence, his teammate Islam Makhachev won the title by submitting then-champion Charles Oliveira. Nurmagomedov has other fighters like Usman Nurmagomedov reigning the lightweight division on Bellator, while his brother Umar Nurmagomedov is making a name in the UFC.

With these fighters, the legacy that Khabib Nurmagomedov left in the UFC and in MMA is well-maintained. Hence, Rogan’s claims are astute.

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What are your thoughts on Rogan’s comments? What do you think of these Dagestani fighters? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by:

Yeswanth Praveen

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Yeswanth Praveen is a UFC writer at EssentiallySports, having written over 500 articles on the sport. With a Master’s degree in English Literature, Yeswanth expertly combines his writing and storytelling skills with his passion for MMA. He was initially drawn to the sport after the intense rivalry between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov captured his attention.
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Edited by:

Rohini Kottu