Joe Rogan was impressed with Islam Makhachev’s improvements that led to his latest win against Alexander Volkanovski.
At UFC 294, Makhachev defended his lightweight title in a rematch against Volkanovski after Charles Oliveira pulled out due to injury. It didn’t take long for the Russian to make a statement, as he landed a devastating head kick and followed up with ground and pound to secure a first-round finish.
Makhachev’s win against ‘The Great’ was in Abu Dhabi on October 21. Therefore, UFC commentator Joe Rogan didn’t make the trip since he prefers to stay in North America when covering events.
Instead, Rogan held a fight companion with his friends Eddie Bravo, Brendan Schaub, and Bryan Callen. Shortly after Makhachev’s title defense at UFC 294, Rogan reacted by saying:
“What a shocker. Bro, he head kicked him. Who would have saw that coming? It was amazing. Shin to the dome, opened up a cut. It was perfect. Wow, Islam, man. He showed a bunch of new sh*t.”
Joe Rogan continued:
“That front kick, and he was throwing that kick to the body then he threw the same kick to the head…It’s a solid win. The way it went down, this was not [Volkanovski] tired. No, he got caught. He got caught with an amazing kick.”
Joe Rogan believes Islam Makhachev evolved his striking after fighting Alexander Volkanovski for the first time
In February of this year, Islam Makhachev defeated Alexander Volkanovski in their first fight by unanimous decision. Throughout the five-round war, Makhachev showcased improvements in his striking skills, which surprised some fans.
During the previously mentioned fight companion, Joe Rogan claimed Makhachev further evolved his striking since fighting Volkanovski at UFC 284:
“I’m just so impressed that he won that way. He showed so much improvement. He really made adjustments. They must have trained for Volkanovski again though he wasn’t fighting Volkanovski. I’m sure they went over all the different things that Volkanovski did and what are the counters for those things.”
Joe Rogan continued:
“He shut a lot of it down. He shut down that switch kick to the outside leg, throwing that front kick up the middle, set up the head kick…Remember his striking was his weakest point. Now it’s as dangerous as anybody in the division. You knock out Volkanovski, sh*t.”
Islam Makhachev is riding a thirteen-fight win streak, including three consecutive title bouts. Although he’s teased a move to 170 pounds, Makhachev’s next Octagon appearance is expected to be a lightweight title defense against Charles Oliveira or Justin Gaethje.
Watch Joe Rogan’s immediate reaction to Islam Makhachev’s latest win below:
