Joe Rogan added one other layer to the dialog surrounding Khamzat Chimaev forward of UFC 328. At UFC 328, the undefeated middleweight champion is scheduled to defend his title in opposition to former champion Sean Strickland on Could ninth on the Prudential Middle in Newark. This matchup is already a straightforward promote on identify alone, however Rogan’s latest take shifts the main target to extra particular questions. How a lot of a bonus did Chimaev have over guys who weren’t created to cease elite wrestling within the first place?
Joe Rogan says Khamzat Chimaev confronted a number of elite wrestlers earlier than his match in opposition to Sean Strickland
Joe Rogan mentioned on his podcast:
“Khamzat is coping with guys who haven’t got a whole lot of elite wrestling background. They don’t seem to be elite wrestlers. The final elite grappler he fought who had issues was Kamaru Usman. Usman rushed the battle at 185 kilos and Kamaru received within the third spherical. If it had been a five-round battle and Kamaru had a full camp, it could have been a really attention-grabbing battle.”
Rogan’s argument focuses on the concept Chimaev was in a position to impose his match on harmful opponents in different areas, however didn’t convey his high wrestling base to the cage. Chimaev’s rise has been tied to his potential to rapidly shut distance, get takedowns, construct management, rack up harm and threaten submissions. His preventing fashion has lengthy been rooted in freestyle wrestling, and his accomplishments exterior of the UFC again it up, together with a nationwide title in Sweden.
The battle Logan was alleging was Chimaev’s battle in opposition to Kamaru Usman at UFC 294 in October 2023. Usman took the battle with about 10 days’ discover after Paulo Costa withdrew, and agreed to battle at middleweight as an alternative of his regular welterweight title. Chimaev received by majority determination, however by the tip of the third spherical, the outcome was something however one-sided.
Chimaev managed Usman for 4 minutes and 35 seconds within the first spherical and completed the evening with a complete management time of seven minutes and 16 seconds, scoring 4 takedowns in 12 makes an attempt. Nonetheless, Usman had the higher of the battle within the third spherical, with official scores of 29-27, 28-28, and 29-27, making it a a lot nearer battle than a lot of Chimaev’s earlier UFC performances.
That is the start Logan is referring to. His view is that Usman is a talented wrestler with years of championship expertise and will give Chimaev issues even and not using a full coaching camp and even preventing within the division. If that model of Usman could make the late battle aggressive, Rogan’s suggestion is easy. A full camp and five-round format may need instructed a unique story.
This does not invalidate what Chimaev completed at 185 kilos. He stays undefeated, successful the middleweight belt after defeating Robert Whittaker within the first spherical at UFC 308 and reserving his first title protection in opposition to Strickland. Nonetheless, Rogan’s feedback land as a result of they aim an ongoing debate in Chimaev’s profession: whether or not his early overwhelming management would look the identical if his opponents have been in a position to grapple, defend, and drag them deep into the battle.
That makes Strickland an attention-grabbing subsequent chapter, even when he would not come into this match with Usman’s wrestling resume. Strickland is a former champion who’s troublesome to again down and is thought for his disciplined jab, forcing his opponents into uncomfortable rounds quite than chaotic occasions. Forward of UFC 328, Rogan’s criticism will not break Chimaev’s file, however it’ll sharpen a key query surrounding this title protection: Will Chimaev be capable of overwhelm one other high middleweight, or will the resistance be one other game-changing battle?
