Joe Rogan believes Khamzat Chimaev will face first real 185-pound challenge against ‘beefy former champion’ Robert Whittaker

Joe Rogan liked the matchmaking of Khamzat Chimaev vs. Robert Whittaker in a title eliminator bout.

Joe Rogan believes Khamzat Chimaev will face first real 185-pound challenge against ‘beefy former champion’ Robert Whittaker

Joe Rogan states his opinion about Khamzat Chimaev fighting Robert Whittaker (Via Imago)

Long gone are the times when Khamzat Chimaev was just a rising phenom. Now, he has a certain case to compete for UFC gold. However, a move up to middleweight altered his career trajectory. Nonetheless, he faces former champion Robert Whittaker at UFC Saudi Arabia, which decides the #1 middleweight contender. As such, Joe Rogan weighed in on the matchup and shared his thoughts.

Khamzat Chimaev has fought John Phillips, Gerald Meerschaert, and Kamaru Usman in the middleweight division. However, many, including Joe Rogan, felt the wins were not legitimate. Usman is a welterweight who took the fight on less than two weeks’ notice. As such, the UFC color commentator believed ‘The Reaper’ was a ‘real fight’ for Chimaev.

Whittaker versus Khamzat Chimaev in Saudi Arabia - That's a real fight for Khamzat because Whittaker's a big dude. He's a big, beefy 185 former champion. That's a real 185er as opposed to (Kamaru Usman).
Joe Rogan via JRE Podcast
YouTube video

Also, Khamzat Chimaev’s performance against Kamaru Usman faced scrutiny among fans and critics. Although he won, Usman troubled Chimaev in the standup exchanges. This proved Joe Rogan’s deductions of Whittaker posing a more potent threat for Chimaev than Usman.

FS Video

Robert Whittaker comes into the bout with full confidence as he won his latest fight against Paulo Costa at UFC 298. This might also be Whittaker’s last hope to earn a title fight due to the #1 contender stipulation. That’s why Joe Rogan felt this was a ‘wild one,’ insinuating the excitement factor of this matchup. This fight will main event of the UFC Saudi Arabia event on June 22.

Joe Rogan speaks about the only takeaway from Khamzat Chimaev’s fight against Kamaru Usman

Khamzat Chimaev was scheduled to face Paulo Costa at UFC 294. But, the fight fell through after Costa pulled out, citing an infection. As such, the former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman rose up to the occasion. Despite a dominant first round, ‘Borz’ went on to win a razor-close Majority decision. As such, Joe Rogan pondered on how the fight played out and gave his only takeaway.

Joe Rogan expels the only takeaway from Khamzat Chiamev's fight against Kamaru Usman
Joe Rogan talks about Khamzat Chiamev’s fight against Kamaru Usman (Via UFC/The Hollywood Reporter)

Joe Rogan felt Khamzat Chimaev didn’t face Kamaru Usman at his very best. As such, he only reiterated what would’ve happened if Usman had a full training camp.

I know Kamaru Usman was winning in the third round. If that was a five-round fight, who knows how the f**k that fight would have went? Obviously, Kamaru's world championship caliber, the best welterweight of all time...Not enough time to get a guy like that to prepare for Khamzat. But, at least we got a chance to see what Khamzat looks like against a world-class championship-caliber fighter.
Joe Rogan via JRE Podcast

Also, Khamzat Chimaev reasoned his underwhelming performance to a hand injury he suffered in the first round. Given the circumstances, Joe Rogan was excited about booking Khamzat Chimaev vs. Robert Whittaker. This fight would leave no doubt about Chimaev’s potential of becoming a champion. Only time will tell how Chimaev deals with his first real threat in the middleweight division.

In case you missed it: