Islam Makhachev has been making the waves and impressed many after UFC 259
Joe Rogan became the latest to be impressed by Islam Makhachev after UFC 259.
The Russian had been hyped up by Khabib Nurmagomedov and his coach, Javier Mendez, over the past few years.
Khabib and Mendez believe Islam can be a future UFC Champion and the Russian dominated his latest opponent.
Although Drew Dober came into this clash unranked, he still was a tough rival for Makhachev. The Russian, however, made light work of Dober and got the win in the third round via submission.
This opened the eyes of many and Joe Rogan was one of them. The UFC commentator was speaking on his podcast, the Joe Rogan experience, and asked his guest, Derrick Lewis about UFC 259.
Lewis spoke about how one fighter looked similar to Khabib. He was wondering how he would react in case someone dominated him on the ground like Makhachev did.
Rogan praised Makhachev a lot and claimed he was impressed too:
“That dude’s a bad mother f*****.
“He is for real. That grappling is serious cause that kid, Drew Dober, is very good.
“For him to handle Drew Dober that way, I was super impressed.”
Stars aligning for Islam Makhachev
Makhachev has gotten a lot of people thinking and it is to be seen who he fights next. The Russian should get a ranked opponent and he is #11 in the UFC Lightweight division.
Rafael dos Anjos was expected to fight Makhachev but the fight was cancelled due to injuries and Covid-19.
However, the pair could meet up now given that Makhachev picked up the win. RDA also won his last fight, which was against Paul Felder, and the former UFC Champion would be a real test for Makhachev.
There are high hopes resting on Makhachev’s shoulders as he aims to become the next champion. Khabib might have retired but he still holds the belt.
The UFC is yet to find a worthy replacement for him, but if Makhachev keeps on impressing, he could be the next Dagestani UFC champion.
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