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Rogan acknowledges Nurmagomedov (29-0) as one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time. However, Rogan believes Nurmagomedov’s successor, Makhachev (28-1), is more well-rounded. Rogan notes that while Nurmagomedov was primarily feared for his wrestling, Makhachev also developed an impressive stand-up game to complement his formidable grappling. Rogan further believes that Makhachev can hold his own against elite strikers as his wrestling prowess stifles his opponents’ standup.
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“Khabib is, without a doubt, one of the greatest to ever do it,” Rogan said on the “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast. “But the difference between Khabib and Islam is – Islam is elite, standup-wise. Khabib has really good standup, but Islam knocked out Volkanovski with a head kick. That’s not in Khabib’s repertoire. Islam is on another level. It’s like one more level above. He can knock you out standing, knock you out on the ground, he could submit you… You’re always thinking about that grappling when you’re striking. So when you say, like, who’s a better striker, Islam or JDM [Jack Della Maddalena], well, it depends because if you’ve got to worry about that takedown, your striking is not going to be the same.”
Both Nurmagomedov and Makhachev belong to a team of Dagestani talents trained by Nurmagomedov’s late father, Abdulmanap. Nurmagomedov won the UFC lightweight title and defended it thrice before retiring undefeated following the demise of his father in 2020. As predicted by Abdulmanap, Makhachev followed in the footsteps of Khabib and won the lightweight title in 2022. Makhachev defended his title four times, the most in the history of the division, before moving up to welterweight. Makhachev most recently dethroned Jack Della Maddalena in dominant fashion to win the UFC welterweight title this past November.
Joe Rogan puts Islam Makhachev higher than Khabib, praising his elite standup and complete skill set 🔥🏆
“Khabib is, without a doubt, one of the all-time greats. But the difference between Khabib and Islam is Islam is elite, standup-wise. Khabib has really good standup, but… pic.twitter.com/Owg57JhZYz
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) January 2, 2026
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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