Khabib Nurmagomedov is one of the greatest UFC fighters ever, if not the best. And it is not easy to live up to such historically great expectations. But that is exactly what Islam Makhachev, dubbed the ‘next Khabib’. has managed to do.

He did this with an effortless second-round victory over Charles Oliveira, one of the best grapplers in the promotion, at UFC 280. Many think that was the moment that Makhachev really came into his own. And it was not just his victory but the manner in which he secured it that really impressed fans and analysts. One of whom was Joe Rogan, who had high praise for the Dagestani on his podcast last year following UFC 280. And as the two fighters are set to rematch at UFC 294 on October 21, let us look at what he said.

Joe Rogan shocked at Makhachev’s strength

Rogan was very impressed with Islam Makhachev’s performance in UFC 280, especially the ease with which he was able to submit Oliveira. He felt Makhachev’s strength was exceptional. The Dagestani had managed to tap the Sao Paulo native in the second round to capture the lightweight title of the UFC.

“Watching Islam (Makhachev) and Charles Oliveira, what a fight that was. Islam Makhachev must have the most incredible squeeze; his squeeze must be out of this world. Because, you see how quick Charles tapped once he clamped that on him,” Rogan said.

The Texas resident felt Makhachev was a class apart from the competition and termed him the ‘boogeyman’ of the lightweight division. Rogan added that he had been impressed with the Dagestani’s abilities even before he became champion.

“That dude is on another level. I mean, he is the truth. I was always impressed with him. But, I mean, I was saying, leading up to him getting a shot at the world title, he’s the boogeyman of that division,” the UFC commentator added. But he did not stop there and heaped further praise on the lightweight champion.

Rogan impressed with Makhachev’s dominance

The stand-up comic continued praising Makhachev. He pointed out the dominant manner in which he was able to deal with some of the greatest grapplers in the UFC. Except for a shocking loss in his UFC debut, Makhachev has an unblemished record. The Dagestani is on a 12-fight win streak.

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“He’s the guy that everyone was saying; he’s the most dominant of all the contenders… It’s like the way he’s tapping these guys, who are these world-class fighters, he’s just f**g running through them. But the fact that he got on Oliveira and mounted him… He submitted the guy with the most submissions in the history of the sport (the UFC). The way he did it, he’s so f*g methodical and dominant,” the podcast host said.

With the rematch closing in, Rogan would have really high expectations from Makhachev. some might even guess that he’ll be rooting for the Dagestani. But will Makhachev be able to continue his winning streak? Or will Oliveira level up the score between the two with a win? What do you think? Let us know in the comments.

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