“If you wanna fight the best, come to middle east,” Joe Rogan and former heavyweight skeptical about Khamzat Chimaev vs Sean Strickland after Chechen’s USA visa troubles

After Khamzat Chimaev's recent victory at UFC 294, UFC color commentator Joe Rogan discusses the potential Khamzat Chimaev vs. Sean Strickland title fight.

“If you wanna fight the best, come to middle east,” Joe Rogan and former heavyweight skeptical about Khamzat Chimaev vs Sean Strickland after Chechen’s USA visa troubles

Joe Rogan talks about Khamzat Chimaev vs Sean Strickland ( Image via Imago )

Khamzat Chimaev defeated Kamaru Usman at UFC 294. This marked the end of a long-drawn hiatus of the Chechen fighter after over a year of inactivity. The bout was a closely contested match and the duo headlined the co-main event in the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

Right after the fight, UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland and Khamzat Chimaev took to each other. However, UFC color commentator Joe Rogan is sceptical of Khamzat Chimaev vs Sean Strickland fight, especially taking into consideration the vague regulations for fighters in the Middle East. Rogan and his guests on the podcast discussed: 

But if you wanna fight the best, you gotta come to Middle East… Isn't that cr*zy… If I was Strickland I'm like Madison Square Garden or bust…
Joe Rogan and guests on JRE

Strickland claimed that Khamzat Chimaev has not done enough to deserve a title shot. Strickland earlier defeated Israel Adesanya in his first-ever title fight in the UFC to become the UFC middleweight champion. According to the champ, a win over Kamaru Usman does not qualify Chimaev for a title fight. However, he also stated that he would take on Khamzat despite believing that he did not deserve the opportunity.

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Khamzat Chimaev’s coach revealed that Chimaev has no passport. Thus he was a non-citizen of Sweden. Instead, the coach revealed that Khamzat Chimaev actually had a Russian passport. This posed a problem for Chimaev as after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian passport holders have not had the best of time in other countries. UFC fighters and other related sports professionals have got caught in the mix.

Dana White has plans for Khamzat Chimaev after UFC 294 victory

Dana White has a clear vision for Khamzat Chimaev’s future in the organization. It involves a more consistent fighting schedule for Chimaev after UFC 294. Chimaev boasts an impressive undefeated professional record of 13 wins and zero losses, a fact that has certainly caught White’s attention and fueled his optimism about the fighter’s potential in the UFC.

Dana White
Dana White has plans for Khamzat Chimaev ( Image source: Twitter )

White recalled Chimaev’s recent showdown with Kamaru Usman. In White’s view, Chimaev’s remarkable talents truly came to the forefront during this bout, and he firmly believes that maintaining Chimaev’s activity is the key to success. The UFC CEO has set his sights on a potential title shot for Chimaev against the UFC middleweight champion, Sean Strickland.


However, White is also aware of past obstacles that have derailed such opportunities. He remains hopeful that Chimaev’s hand remains injury-free and that there won’t be any issues preventing the title fight from taking place.

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