Joe Rogan advocates for Khamzat Chimaev to get a title shot: ‘That guy’s a scary ass motherf*cker’
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Khamzat Chimaev may end up fighting for gold in his next fight after he demolished former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker inside the first round at UFC 308.
That’s exactly what UFC color commentator Joe Rogan wants to see after he witnessed Chimaev sink in a nasty rear-naked choke applied across the chin, which ended up shattering Whittaker’s teeth in one of the grisliest finishes in recent history. Rogan was blown away with Chimaev’s performance and he doesn’t see anything else that makes sense outside of a title shot against reigning champion Dricus du Plessis.
“That guy’s a scary ass motherf*cker,” Rogan said on his Fight Companion podcast for UFC 308. “That grappling is next level. He’s a beast. Once he gets a hold of you it’s so dangerous.
“You give him the title shot. Holy shit. He gets a title shot, I think. Not just [beating Whittaker in the first round], but ran through him. He didn’t get touched. He ran through him and strangled him in the first round. He might be the guy.”
Chimaev has remained one of the most hyped prospects on the entire UFC roster after he first arrived in the promotion and ended up winning three fights inside two months. He was initially a contender in the welterweight division but struggles getting down to the 170-pound limit necessitated his move up to middleweight.
Rogan believes that was the best move for Chimaev and the results showed on Saturday.
“Think about this at [185 pounds]. So this guy was killing himself to get to 170,” Rogan said. “At 185, he’s the f*cking man.”
It’s tough to argue against Rogan’s logic regarding Chimaev’s future, especially coming off that kind of performance against a former champion and perennial contender in Whittaker.
While Sean Strickland might have something to say about that after he was promised the next title shot, Chimaev may have just jumped the line with his performance at UFC 308.
“That was super, super impressive,” Rogan said about Chimaev’s win.
It remains to be seen what the UFC plans to do at middleweight with du Plessis still awaiting word on his next opponent with no date or location announced for his next fight.
