On episode #2487 of the The Joe Rogan Experience, host Joe Rogan sat down with Action Bronson and shared his thoughts on Khamzat Chimaev and whether the undefeated contender has truly been tested by elite grapplers in the UFC.
The conversation began with Rogan shutting down a rumor that had been circulating online about a potential match involving Chimaev and grappling icon Gordon Ryan.
“Here’s something that people are saying is real. It’s not,” Rogan said. “But I found out today. Everyone’s saying that Khamzat Chimaev and Gordon Ryan are going to wrestle. It’s not true.”
Rogan then shifted to what he viewed as the more meaningful matchup on the horizon: a potential clash between Chimaev and former middleweight champion Sean Strickland.
“I think the Strickland and Khamzat match is going to be very interesting,” he said. “Strickland is not an easy guy to take down and he’s not an easy guy to hold down. And he’s a very difficult guy to hit on his feet and he’s got a super awkward style.”
Bronson suggested that Chimaev has looked almost unstoppable in his UFC run, describing him as a force of nature. Rogan agreed with the assessment of Chimaev’s raw effectiveness, particularly when it comes to timing and wrestling entries.
“His timing and his takedowns is f**king ins ane,” Rogan said. “So good.”
However, Rogan also pushed back against the idea that Chimaev has already proven himself against the very best grapplers in the sport. He argued that many of the opponents Chimaev has dominated lacked elite wrestling credentials.
“If I was going to make an argument against it, I would say he’s handling guys that don’t have a big background in elite wrestling,” he said. “They’re not like elite grapplers. The guy that he compete that was an elite grappler gave him problems.”
That discussion naturally led to Gilbert Burns, widely considered one of the most dangerous submission specialists in MMA. Burns pushed Chimaev to a decision in their 2022 bout and created several tense moments during the match.
After Bronson pointed out that Burns gave Chimaev trouble on the feet, Rogan clarified where he believed the damage primarily occurred.
“He did, but that was like more standup f**king him up,” Rogan said.
When Bronson pressed further about the grappling exchanges, Rogan emphasized Burns’ ability to survive and recover against a relentless wrestler.
“Gilbert can get back up to his feet,” he said.
Another key example Rogan cited was Chimaev’s closely contested bout against former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, who stepped in on short notice for their matchup at middleweight.
“That was a short notice match that Kamaru took at 185,” Rogan said. “And in the third round, Kamaru was winning.”
Rogan noted that Usman’s wrestling pedigree created a completely different dynamic compared to most of Chimaev’s previous opponents, many of whom struggled to stay upright once the grappling exchanges began.
“Where with everybody else Khamzat basically ragdolls them, mounts them, rolls you around,” he said. ”
Bronson then addressed the health complications that temporarily derailed Chimaev’s momentum during the pandemic, referencing the severe respiratory issues he experienced after contracting COVID-19.
“Khamzat had the issue coming off of COVID,” Bronson said. “He had that long COVID where his lungs were f**ked for a while.”
Rogan added that Chimaev’s relentless training habits may have made the situation worse, describing how the athlete continued pushing himself despite serious symptoms.
“He wouldn’t stop training,” he said. “So he got COVID and trained hard like a f**king psychopath all through COVID to the point where he was getting bleeding out of his lungs.”
