"He doesn’t look anything like a 155-pound guy" – Joe Rogan comments on Islam Makhachev's physique ahead of UFC 284

Islam Makhachev is set to face Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284 in February next year. Joe Rogan recently spoke about the upcoming contest on The Joe Rogan Experience.

The commentator mentioned the Dagestani's physique and believes he's naturally much bigger than Volkanovski.

While speaking to Sean O'Malley on episode #133 of the JRE MMA Show, Rogan stated that Islam Makhachev has the perfect physique for the 155lbs weight class. He questioned whether Alexander Volkanovski would be able to handle the size difference at UFC 284 (transcribed via MMA Junkie):

"Do you think he’s [Volkanovski] big enough to compete against a guy like Islam, who’s a really big 155er? Islam is big. I don’t know what he’s cutting, but he’s got the perfect physique for that weight class. He’s very, very lean. He makes the weight, and he’s obviously way bigger when he’s competing. He doesn’t look anything like a 155-pound guy."

Listen to the full podcast episode here:

Given Makhachev relies heavily on his wrestling, being the naturally bigger man is only going to aid him against 'Volk'. The Dagestani will be putting his UFC lightweight belt on the line against Volkanovski, who is stepping up from the featherweight division where he's currently the champ.

Rogan also stated that although the featherweight isn't the biggest fighter even in his own weight class, he might have the grappling needed to defeat Makhachev:

"If you look at Volkanovski, he’s got really good takedown defense and he can take guys down. He took Max Holloway down a bunch, but he’s not the biggest guy even at 145."

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How long is Islam Makhachev's current UFC winning streak ahead of UFC 284?

After defeating Charles Oliveira via submission in the second round at UFC 280, Islam Makhachev finally secured the UFC lightweight title. The Dagestani also extended his winning streak to 11 fights. The only loss of his pro MMA career came against Adriano Martins at UFC 192: Cormier vs. Gustafsson in 2015.

Makhachev has also beaten the likes of Arman Tsarukyan, Dan Hooker, and Bobby Green.

Watch highlights of Makhachev's UFC 280 title fight here:

Islam Makhachev has done a good job of finishing his recent UFC outings, with the Dagestani beating his last five opponents via stoppage.

Davi Ramos is the last fighter to have survived all of the rounds against Makhachev, losing via unanimous decision at UFC 242: Khabib vs. Poirier in 2019.