UFC color commentator, Joe Rogan has showered praise on newly minted undisputed UFC lightweight champion, Islam Makhachev, following the Dagestan native’s second round arm-triangle submission win over former division titleholder, Charles Oliveira last weekend in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Taking main honors at UFC 280 in the Middle East on ‘Fight Island’, Makhachev, under the tutelage of Javier Mendez and former undisputed lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov – turned in a dominant, one-sided second round submission win over Oliveira to clinch the vacant crown.
Dropping Oliveira in the second frame prior to the finish, Islam Makhachev countered a kick attempt from the Brazilian with a left straight, before firing home with a crushing right hook.
Immediately jumping into Oliveira’s half guard, Islam Makhachev sought out an arm-triangle, leapt to side control and forced a submission win. Off the back of the championship victory, Makahchev is now expected to attempt his first title defense in February of next year in Perth, Australia against featherweight titleholder, Alexander Volkanovski.
Joe Rogan heaps praise on new champion, Islam Makhachev
Sharing his thoughts on the Russian’s victory over Oliveira, long-time UFC color commentator, Rogan heaped praise on the former.
“Watching Islam (Makhachev) and Charles Oliveira, that was – what a fight that was,” Joe Rogan said on his podcast. “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. I mean, whoof.”
“That dude is on another level,” Rogan said of Makhachev. “I mean, I am – 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 (lightweight). He’s the guy that everyone was saying, he’s the most dominant of all the contenders. And then when he tapped (Drew) Dober, that was a big one, when he tapped Dan Hooker, that was a big one too.”
“It’s like the way he’s tapping these guys, who are these world class fighters, he’s just f*cking running through them,” Rogan said. “But the fact that he got on Oliveira and mounted him, and then submitted him with an arm-triangle, head and arm choke like that. He submitted the guy with the most submissions in the history of the sport [the UFC]. And the way he did it, he’s so f*cking methodical and dominant – and Oliveira tested him, I mean he got out of bad positions in the first round, got back up to his feet, hit him with some good shots. But Makhachev, he’s the f*cking truth.”