UFC commentator Joe Rogan believes that Alexander Volkanovski should have been declared the winner in his fight against Islam Makhachev, citing Volkanovski’s performance and arguing that he inflicted more damage.
Alexander Volkanovski holds a loss to Islam Makhachev in his record, despite the fact that many people feel he was the deserved winner of that bout. This list of believers includes UFC color commentator Joe Rogan. Rogan expressed his belief that Volkanovski performed well during that February clash at UFC 284, when he moved up a division to face one of MMA’s most dominant fighters. Rogan is so convinced about Volkanovski’s performance that he still ranks him as the top MMA fighter, notwithstanding his status as the reigning UFC featherweight champion.
In a conversation on his podcast, Rogan voiced his opinion about Volkanovski. “He’s No. 1 pound-for-pound. They have him as not pound-for-pound [No. 1 in the UFC] because he lost that fight [to Islam Makhachev]. I think you could make a real argument that he won that fight. I think he won the fight. In my mind, he won the fight,” he said. Rogan believes that Volkanovski imposed his will during the fight, delivering more punishment than Makhachev in 25 minutes. As per Rogan, Volkanovski caused more damage and truly showcased his skills.
Rogan was also in awe of Volkanovski’s performance, having moved up from featherweight to fight one of the larger lightweights, Makhachev. Rogan noted, “He did more damage. I think he imposed his skill set. It’s also insanely impressive that he goes up from [featherweight] to fight a massive [lightweight]. That guy is as big at [155 pounds] as anybody is, and at the end of the fight, [Volkanovski] is on top beating him up. He drops him, gets on top of him and had massive moments throughout the fight.”
Despite Makhachev’s impressive record, with only one loss in his early UFC career and a habit of steamrolling opponents, he engaged in a real battle with Volkanovski and struggled to earn a decision win. This struggle, Rogan believes, exposed some vulnerability in Makhachev which could work to the advantage of Charles Oliveira, who is set face Makhachev for the second time at UFC 294. This vulnerability is contrasted against the raw skill of Volkanovksi, who according to Rogan is an “animal” in the arena. Of course, this shouldn’t discount Makhachev’s previous one-sided victory over Oliveira, but Rogan does anticipate a different outcome for the rematch.