UFC color commentator Joe Rogan praised the religious mentality of the Islamic fighters of Dagestan.
Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is widely regarded as one of the greatest 155-pound fighters of all time. He ushered in a new era for the sport when he became the first Muslim champion in the promotion. His dominant victory over former two-division champion Conor McGregor skyrocketed his celebrity. In Oct. 2020, ‘The Eagle’ decided to retire at the top with an unblemished record of 29-0.
Following his retirement, Khabib got to work coaching and promoting his teammates, including reigning lightweight champ Islam Makhachev and Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov. The sheer dominance of the fighters hailing from the region has established Dagestan as the hotbed for MMA talent.
Joe Rogan praises the religious mentality of Islamic fighters out of Dagestan
In episode 1923 of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Rogan shared his thoughts on the religious lifestyle of Islamic fighters while hosting Mike Baker.
“Some of the most disciplined people that I know of are very religious. It’s really fascinating, particularly fighters like a lot of the Islamic fighters out of Dagestan. They’re some of the most dominant and religious fighters, so devout. They don’t have the distractions that a lot of hedonists do. The guys at Khabib Nurmagomedov’s camp are some of the most dominant fighters.
“They wear their hair all exactly the same way. All they care about is family, religion, and training. They don’t chase girls. They don’t drink. They’re just training constantly like insanely dedicated to their craft and they are the most dominant.”
Rogan encouraged the structure and discipline that religion provides
Joe Rogan and Baker talked about the benefit of having structure and discipline in life that religion provides. Baker shared a personal experience that forced him to analyze his stance against religion.
“Khabib is very wealthy and drives a Toyota truck,” said Rogan. “He lives in the same house. He’s very devout in his beliefs and the way he’s raising other fighters… Some people say, ‘I don’t want that kind of control over me.’ I get it. I get that too. But I also think there is some sort of a benefit to having structure, purpose, and rituals that everyone does together. There’s a bonding that comes with that. It can’t be denied. I know some people say religion is a tool of control but it’s also self-control. A lot of discipline and structure that benefits people.”
Baker said, “We went to a local United Methodist church the other day. They actually had a sermon about the Bible and the way it’s viewed and how it’s used in various ways in terms of interpretation. But they did say one thing which was that the whole point of the Bible is it’s ambiguous, diverse, a collection of books over a long period of time. It’s not intended to be a manual. That was the first time I really heard that it’s not an instruction or how-to manual. It’s more of a way to pursue in the sense not what it means but what am I looking for. I think that question of what am I looking for, for kids, maybe there is some value there regarding the community part.”
On Jan. 5, Khabib announced he would be leaving the sport of MMA completely and will no longer continue as a coach or promoter as he wanted to spend more time with his family. While he did not expand much on his statement, it’s evident his religious upbringing influenced his decision.
