Joe Rogan thinks he knows why Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev are a cut above their competition.
Khabib Nurmagomedov went 29-0 and won the UFC lightweight title before retiring after he submitted Justin Gaethje in October 2020.
In his absence, Islam Makhachev has claimed the 155lb crown and become the pound-for-pound best fighter in MMA during a similarly dominant 27-1 run in the sport.
Joe Rogan believes it’s their mindset that separates the Russian teammates from other fighters in the UFC.
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Joe Rogan highlights the importance of discipline
During a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, the UFC commentator and Cameron Hanes, an ultra-marathon runner, bowhunter, and author, discussed what makes fighters like Nurmagomedov and Makhachev so good.
Ultimately, they decided that devout discipline is what separates them from other fighters.
“Khabib had unbelievably grueling training sessions,” Rogan said.
“That was one of the things that was so apparent with his endurance.
“Their discipline was second to none. No girlfriends, no phones, no bulls—, no video games. F— you. We train. Eat, recover, train. You want to really be a champion? This is how you have to work.
“This is how Islam Makhachev is so good. This is how Khabib is so good.
“Those guys are disciplined.”
Joe Rogan replaced for UFC 315
Joe Rogan won’t be participating in the broadcast for his weekend’s UFC pay-per-view event.
The beloved podcaster and comedian is the voice of the biggest UFC events, but for the past few years, he has opted against traveling internationally for shows.
It was recently revealed Rogan will be replaced by Dominick Cruz for UFC 315 after joking he’d ’rather go to Russia’ than head north of the border to watch Belal Muhammad vs Jack Della Maddalena in Montreal, Canada.
Rogan is expected to be back on broadcast duty for UFC 316 in Newark, New Jersey on June 7.