Joe Rogan Makes Bold Claim About Islam Makhachev Ahead Of UFC 294

Rogan has something to say about Islam Makhachev.

Joe Rogan wonders if the mystique of Islam Makhachev has been cracked a tad bit.

Very few can deny the skills of Makhachev, the UFC lightweight titleholder. Rogan has praised Makhachev's grappling and strength, more specifically his top control. The 155-pound king is set for a rematch against the man he beat to capture the UFC gold, Charles Oliveira. That fight will headline UFC 294 on October 21 in Abu Dhabi.

While this rematch has received positive feedback, Makhachev vs. Alex Volkanovski 2 is the fight that fans are truly clamoring for. Their first encounter took place earlier this year, and while Makhachev won the fight via unanimous decision, it was far from easy. 

It was the toughest fight for Makhachev barring his lone career defeat, and Joe Rogan believes it showed a lot about Makhachev's vulnerability.

(via Jasmin Frank-USA TODAY Sports)

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Rogan recently had guests Sean O'Malley and coach Tim Welch on the "JRE MMA Show." During the episode, the UFC color commentator told "Sugar" and Welch that the fight spoke volumes about whether or not Makhachev is beatable right now.

"You see vulnerability in Islam after that fight with Volkanovski," Rogan said. "First of all, you see how good Volkanovski really is. F****** animal. He's number one pound-for-pound. They have him not listed as pound-for-pound because he lost that fight, I think you could make a real argument that he won that fight. I think he won the fight, in my mind he won the fight."

It'll be interesting to see if Oliveira can switch things up and have success against Makhachev in their rematch. Their first meeting was rather one-sided, ending in a second-round submission win for the Russian bruiser. If "do Bronx," can't crack the code, then perhaps Volkanovski can get his rematch.

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