Just days ago, UFC commentator Joe Rogan hailed lightweight champion Islam Makhachev for his innovative techniques and power. And now, his manager, Ali Abdelaziz, has also joined the chorus to sing the praises of his ungodly powers.
Makhachev, who currently resides as the pacesetter at the lightweight limit, has done so since assuming the throne back in 2022. Racking up a record-setting four successful title defenses already, twice with his favorite D’Arce choke, Islam has proven his ability to solve any technical glitches he might have by pure strength.
Case in point, he made light work of short-notice foe Renato Moicano at UFC 311 and emerged completely unscathed. And while he took a beating from Dustin Poirier at UFC 302 before that, Islam’s modified D’Arce saved the day once again.
UFC commentator Rogan, who called both the fights, cited this modified submission and claimed that the champion has long surpassed any other lightweight in the division.
“He grabs his (Renato Moicano) wrist—nobody else does that!” Rogan said about the champion’s unique improvisation of an already complicated chokehold.
“Islam has a very unique way of doing the D’Arce. Islam grabs his own wrist while the other guys go all the way to the biceps. He’s also insanely strong,” Rogan noted.
Rogan claimed that Makhachev’s elite strength comes from having spent decades throwing human bodies around. “Islam is elite when it comes to strangling people,” the UFC caller asserted.
Joe Rogan breaks down why Islam Makhachev’s D’arce choke is on another level: ‘He grabs his wrist—nobody else does that!’
“Islam has a very unique way of doing the D’arce. Islam grabs his own wrist while the other guys go all the way to the biceps. He’s also insanely… pic.twitter.com/EkveoIP0rS
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) May 7, 2025
This seemingly caught the attention of Team Khabib themselves, as Abdelaziz had an interesting comparison for his fighter to a hulking herbivore.
“Islam [is] like a gorilla,” Abdelaziz posted on X, adding, “People have no idea how strong he is.”
King Green links steroid use to Makhachev
Sharing the Octagon in an unlikely encounter back in 2022, King Green had made a bold statement after his dominant loss to the then-contender. Succumbing to brutal first-round ground strikes, the Californian striker alluded to his thought that Makhachev likely indulged in performance-enhancing drugs from a young age.
He further claimed not to be able to fathom where he got his strength from.
“He (Makhachev) was saying that when he first came over that his school that he trained at in Russia, they just gave him vitamins,” Green told assembled media.
“Imagine if you gave someone steroids from the age of 10, 12, 13, 14, 15 … how strong you would be,” he suggested, adding, “People are like, ‘He was really strong.’ It makes sense now.”
Claiming that there are thousands of people he’s moved around with, the lightweight fighter claimed that Islam’s strength was interesting in a way that it didn’t feel human and suggested that the champion has been dosing since he was a child.
