Joe Rogan, the UFC color commentator, once discussed the brutal end of the Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor title fight. And also explained why the Irish star had no option but to give up.
The lightweight title bout between Nurmagomedov and McGregor in 2018 at UFC 229 is one of the most talked about fights in the UFC. And the MMA enthusiast Joe Rogan was one of the people who watched the fight up close as he was among the ring-side commentators.
‘The Eagle’ dominated the Irishman for most of the rounds. Finally, in the fourth round, the Russian fighter finished McGregor with a neck crank. Many believe ‘The Notorious’ tapped out too early. However, the veteran commentator Rogan doesn’t fall under this bracket.
In one of the old episodes of his podcast, the 55-year-old explained why people are wrong to believe the Irish star gave up early. “He was done. He was beaten down. Khabib f*cked him up. Khabib smashed him… There are many people that don’t train that think that that was something you shouldn’t tap to. They’re out of their f*cking mind. Okay? That is what’s called a fulcrum choke, okay?”
Rogan further on explained how the choke actually works. “It really feels like your f*cking head is going to pop off, right? What he’s doing is he’s wrapping around the face and you don’t have to go under the jaw. You can get it on the chin, especially if you’re as strong as Khabib. Then you clamp your hands together and you’re pressing your forearms against his back. So you have got this, and you got the forearm against his back, and you’re doing this. Just leave it. Your f*cking head is just like,” Rogan said.
Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor after UFC 229
Finally, the rivalry had a victor in Khabib Nurmagomedov. However, the rivalry between the two never ended. Moreover, the fight became one of the highest pay-per-view selling bouts in UFC.
It sold over 2.4 million pay-per-views, making a whopping $180 million. After UFC 229, ‘The Eagle’ defended his UFC lightweight title twice and retired from professional fighting with a perfect 29-0 record.
Meanwhile, ‘The Notorious’ is still in the UFC. However, he is currently on a two-fight skid and inactive because of an injury. But he has recovered and might return to the UFC octagon soon.
What are your thoughts on the rivalry? What do you guys think about Rogan’s words?
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