UFC: Joe Rogan thinks Khabib Nurmagomedov ‘could still’ challenge Charles Oliveira for title
- UFC commentator feels former lightweight champ might be tempted to come out of retirement and fight his successor
- ‘That would’ve been the fight, and maybe it still could be,’ Rogan says after Oliveira’s rise to prominence
Khabib Nurmagomedov may yet come out of retirement for a titanic showdown with his successor to the UFC’s lightweight throne, according to commentator Joe Rogan.
“The Eagle” walked away from MMA and vacated his belt in October 2020, telling UFC president Dana White “I am levels above these guys”. But Charles Oliveira has since cemented his status as a worthy challenger.
“Do Bronx” claimed the vacant title with a second-round TKO of Michael Chandler, before successfully defending it against Dustin Poirier this month, sparking increasing calls from fans for Nurmagomedov to step back into the Octagon and face the Brazilian.
“Oh yes, that would’ve been the fight and maybe it could still be,” Rogan said on his podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience. “Khabib might decide at one point in time, ‘you know …’”
The 32-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Oliveira (32-8, 1 no contest) holds the record for submissions in the UFC (15), the latest coming against former interim champ Poirier, who tapped to a third-round standing rear-naked choke in Las Vegas.
“It’s the way he [Oliveira] does it man … jiu jitsu is a wild thing,” Rogan said. “And that’s the difference between Oliveira and these guys. They’re all really good standing up, and he’s really good standing up, so there’s an even playing field.
