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Joe Rogan Shocks with His Surprising UFC GOAT Picks: No GSP!

Joe Rogan Shocks with His Surprising UFC GOAT Picks: No GSP! When it comes to the undisputed GOATs of MMA, Joe Rogan has three names in mind — and none…

When it comes to the undisputed GOATs of MMA, Joe Rogan has three names in mind — and none of them are Jon Jones or Georges St-Pierre.

The debate over who should be hailed as the greatest mixed martial artist of all time has been raging on for years. Recently, Dana White made his opinion abundantly clear by dubbing ‘Bones’ Jones the undisputed GOAT and getting straight-up argumentative with anyone who disagreed.

But according to the longtime UFC color commentator, Jones doesn’t even rank in the top three.

During an episode of his ever-popular podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience, the former Fear Factor host shared who he sees topping the list, starting with the best middleweight champion of all time, Anderson ‘The Spider’ Silva.

“You gotta look at them in this window of time,” Rogan said. “And sometimes it’s just a few years where they’re accomplishing things in a way that it’s extraordinary you go, ‘I’ve never seen anybody better’. Anderson Silva, when he was in his prime, he was operating at a different speed than [his opponents]. He was processing things with like a 2024 computer, and they were using a Windows ’95” (h/t GiveMeSport).

Up next for Rogan, and perhaps the most controversial pick, Khabib Nurmagomedov.

“That’s just how good Khabib was (on his wins over Poirier & Gaethje),” Rogan continued. “He’s so good. It’s almost a tragedy that he never wants to fight again. He’ll go out, without a doubt, as one of the greatest to ever do it. If not the best ever, he’s definitely in the argument.”

The Eagle’ went 29-0 in his illustrious career and retired as the UFC lightweight world champion following a trio of successful title defenses against Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje. However, some dispute Nurmagomedov’s status as one of MMA’s greats, noting his lack of notable opponents outside of the three names mentioned above.

Joe Rogan closes out his list with flyweight great demetrious Johnson

Last but certainly not least for Rogan was Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson. As the UFC’s first-ever flyweight titleholder, successfully defended his belt an incredible 11 times, securing the record for most consecutive title defenses in promotional history.

Johnson also holds the record for most submission wins in UFC title fights and was just the second fighter in UFC history to capture performance bonuses in all four categories — Fight, Knockout, Performance, and Submission.

“When he was in his prime, ‘Might Mouse’ was a motherf*cker to watch,” Rogan said. “He would do sh*t that no one could do. There’s not a champion alive that can do that [suplex] the way “Mighty Mouse” can do that. When [Johnson] fought [Henry] Cejudo the first time, it was a masterclass. I maintain that he is the finest expression of martial arts I have ever seen.”

Even after leaving the UFC, Johnson’s dominance continued under the ONE Championship banner. He went on to win the ONE Flyweight World Grand Prix tournament before claiming the ONE flyweight championship.

He also competed in the promotion’s first-ever mixed-rules bout, scoring a second-round submission victory over Muay Thai icon Rodtang Jitmuangnon.

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Gameplans Go Out the Window With a Punch, Explains Arman Tsarukyan

Arman Tsarukyan subscribes to the popular Mike Tyson quote, ‘Everyone’s got a plan until they get punched in the…

Arman Tsarukyan subscribes to the popular Mike Tyson quote, ‘Everyone’s got a plan until they get punched in the mouth.’ Especially when it comes to UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov.

On January 18, Tsarukyan will put that theory to a test, though it won’t come against Nurmagomedov. Instead, it’ll be against the Hall of Famer’s protege, Islam Makhachev, who just happens to be the promotion’s reigning lightweight world champion. Tsarukyan will challenge the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ for the 155-pound crown when the UFC heads to the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles for the first pay-per-view event of 2025, UFC 311.

Nurmagomedov is expected to be in Makhachev’s corner that night and will likely go into fight night with a well-thought-out game plan when Makhachev seeks his fourth successful defense of the lightweight strap.

Undoubtedly helping matters will be the fact that Makhachev already holds a victory over Tsarukyan under the UFC banner, besting the Armenian at UFC on ESPN+ 7 in April 2019.

Arman Tsarukyan knows how to disrupt makhachev’s game plan

Of course, Tsarukyan thinks that successfully throwing Makhachev off his game will come down to one not-so-simple task — hit the man really, really, hard.

“I think game plans can go out the window when you get hit with a hard punch,” Tsarukyan said in an interview with ESPN MMA. “If I hurt him really badly, he’ll forget about his game plan. It’s the same for me. In my last fight, Oliveira choked me, and after that moment, I forgot my game plan completely. That’s why I have to hurt him very badly in the first round. Then it won’t matter what game plan they have.”

Tsarukyan certainly has a knack for knocking his opponents out. In his nine career wins under the UFC banner, he’s scored highlight-reel KOs against Christos Giagos, Joel Alvarez, Joaquim Silva, and Beneil Dariush.

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Gameplans Go Out the Window With a Punch, Explains Arman Tsarukyan

Arman Tsarukyan subscribes to the popular Mike Tyson quote, ‘Everyone’s got a plan until they get punched in the…

Arman Tsarukyan subscribes to the popular Mike Tyson quote, ‘Everyone’s got a plan until they get punched in the mouth.’ Especially when it comes to UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Undoubtedly helping matters will be the fact that Makhachev already holds a victory over Tsarukyan under the UFC banner, besting the Armenian at UFC on ESPN+ 7 in April 2019.

Arman Tsarukyan knows how to disrupt makhachev’s game plan

Of course, Tsarukyan thinks that successfully throwing Makhachev off his game will come down to one not-so-simple task — hit the man really, really, hard.

“I think game plans can go out the window when you get hit with a hard punch,” Tsarukyan said in an interview with ESPN MMA. “If I hurt him really badly, he’ll forget about his game plan. It’s the same for me. In my last fight, Oliveira choked me, and after that moment, I forgot my game plan completely. That’s why I have to hurt him very badly in the first round. Then it won’t matter what game plan they have.”

Paul Hughes wants Conor McGregor in his corner when he faces Usman Nurmagomedov “We’ll need more security” student of Khabib

Ireland’s Paul Hughes got a huge win in the PFL debut as he took on the prodigy AJ McKee….

Ireland’s Paul Hughes got a huge win in the PFL debut as he took on the prodigy AJ McKee. Hughes was able to out-point his opponent with sharp counters and flying knees. After the victory, he wants the Bellator champion, and student of Khabib Nurmagomedov, Usman Nurmagomedov, but with Conor McGregor in his corner.

Paul Hughes wants Usman Nurmagomedov

The former Cage Warriors champion signed with the PFL looking to become a world champion in the organization. In his debut, he was able to defeat the top-ranked, and ultra-talented, AJ McKee via split decision. The Irish-born Paul Hughes was able to out-point his opponent in an impressive victory and showed off his striking acumen.

After the fight, he called out the Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov who is a long-time student, and cousin, of MMA legend, Khabib Nurmagomedov. Hughes is very likely to face Usman next with the title on the line and in that bout, Khabib will be in his corner. For that, Hughes has requested that Conor McGregor be in his corner for the match.

Paul Hughes PFL — 2024 PFL Superfights PPV: Battle of the Giants at the Mayadeen Theater in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, Saturday, October 19, 2024. (Jose Peñuela / 2024PFLPPV) Paul Hughes vs AJ McKee

Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor

Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor had one of the most bitter rivalries in MMA history. Their blockbuster match for the UFC world title was a major event and one of the biggest fights in the history of the sport. Khabib won but then a brawl broke out after the match.

Paul Hughes wins in the PFL

Speaking to the media after his PFL win, Paul Hughes explained:

“Yeah, that’s obvious. [Usman Nurmagomedov] is what I want. I said I was here for the biggest fights, the highest-pressure moments, and to make the most money possible. Usman is next, no question. There’s a lot of hype around this fight, and I’m here for it.“

On potentially having Conor McGregor in his corner, he added:

“How crazy would that be? We might need some extra security that night, though. We’ll need more security! But I’m down for it. It’ll be fun.”

Discussing his victory over AJ McKee, Hughes said:

“When you’re in there, it’s sometimes hard to tell, but judging from the energy of the crowd and AJ’s face, it’s pretty clear I won. I smashed him, walked him down, and put punches on him. I hurt him so many times. I was close to knocking him out a few times, but I didn’t get him out of there. I’ll 100% get him next time.”

PFL Paul Hughes vs AJ McKee — Paul Hughes

Khabib Nurmagomedov “Sad” he never faced Tony Ferguson

Khabib Nurmagomedov regrets never fighting Tony Ferguson. Once upon a time when ‘El Cucuy‘ was sitting on an incredible…

Khabib Nurmagomedov regrets never fighting Tony Ferguson.

Once upon a time when ‘El Cucuy‘ was sitting on an incredible 12-fight win streak in the lightweight division, he was paired up with Nurmagomedov on no less than five occasions. The two fighters alternated withdrawals due to various injuries and weight-cutting issues before the final nail in the coffin came in 2020 when the UFC’s final attempt was called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Looking back on the fight that never was during an appearance on the Inspire Me Podcast, Nurmagomedov admitted to feeling sad that he never got the chance to compete against ‘El Cucuy’ inside the Octagon.

”I feel little bit sad,” Nurmagomedov revealed.

As for how their fight would have gone, ‘The Eagle’ believes Ferguson would have had a puncher’s chance, but that’s about it.

”My game is worse for him, he doesn’t have wrestling, grappling so what’s he gonna do with me? How’s he gonna stop me? Only chance he’d have to stop me is a lucky punch,” he continued. Like with everybody: Conor, Poirier, Justin Gaethje. They talk about ‘They can stop him if they get a lucky punch.” (h/t Sportskeeda).

Tony Ferguson has not won since his last attempt to fight Khabib fell through

Tony Ferguson currently finds himself on an eight-fight win streak dating back to May 2020, a month after his last attempt to fight Nurmagomedov fell through. Along the way, he’s suffered losses against lightweight stars including Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira, Michael Chandler, Nate Diaz, and Paddy Pimblett.

His latest defeat, a first-round submission at the hands of TUF alumnus Michael Chiesa, officially broke the streak for most losses in a row, previously held by former two-division champion B.J. Penn.

dm 240803 UFC Ferguson taps to Chiesa in round one

Everyone expected Ferguson to finally lay down his gloves and call it a career following the fight, but ‘El Cucuy’ continued to leave the door open for another fight, even if it meant competing outside of the UFC.

Sean O’Malley: Fighting Umar Nurmagomedov with Khabib in His Corner Would Be a Career High

Sean O’Malley thinks Khabib Nurmagomedov’s presence could give his potential clash with Umar Nurmagomedov that big-fight feel. The latter…

Sean O’Malley thinks Khabib Nurmagomedov’s presence could give his potential clash with Umar Nurmagomedov that big-fight feel.

The latter of the Dagestani MMA dynasty earned a big win inside the Octagon earlier this month, scoring a decisive decision victory over Cory Sandhagen. The victory pushed Umar Nurmagomedov into the No. 2 spot in the bantamweight rankings, setting him up to challenge the winner of next month’s title tilt between reigning 135-pound king Sean O’Malley and top-ranked contender Merab Dvalishvili.

O’Malley is not the kind of fighter to count his chickens before they hatch, but he can’t help but think about the big fight feel that would come with facing Umar Nurmagomedov. Especially if it means competing against the mind and coaching of Khabib Nurmagomedov who would undoubtedly be in his cousin’s corner.

“I never really thought about it but just kind of off the top of my head right now if I think about it, that would be cool. Khabib’s a legend, 29-0, and very disciplined, serious guy which would make it even more fun,” O’Malley told Red Corner MMA.

“It’d be hard to top that, like I guess beating Ilia or Max after that, like there’s guys you could top that with but it’d be hard to get too excited for. I don’t know, I’m thinking out loud right now. It would be cool” (h/t MMA News).

Sean O’Malley headlines once in a lifetime event at sphere in las vegas

Before O’Malley can even concern himself with the Dagestani wrestling attack of an undefeated Nurmagomedov, he’ll have to handle his toughest test yet when he meets streaking Georgian standout Merab Dvalishvili.

The two bantamweight warriors will square off on Saturday, September 14 when the promotion celebrates Mexican Independence Day inside Sphere in Las Vegas.

Dana White has promised an event unlike anything that’s ever been done before. Aside from the unique setting, UFC 306 will feature not one, but two exciting championship clashes. The first will feature a trilogy bout as Alexa Grasso returns to defend her flyweight title against Valentina Shevchenko.

Grasso shocked the world at UFC 285, scoring a fourth-round submission victory over ‘Bullet’ to kickstart her 125-pound reign. Later that year, Grasso and Shevchenko ran it back, but the bout was controversially ruled a split draw.