When Joe Rogan explained why he was against Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor 2

Joe Rogan once expressed disinterest in seeing a rematch between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor after what transpired in their UFC 229 main event bout. He noted that there was a much more appealing opponent available and that the first bout didn't warrant a rematch.

The buildup had been very personal, with many believing McGregor crossed the line by bringing up Nurmagomedov's family and religion as well as the infamous dolly incident earlier that year. Despite mindgames, 'The Eagle' wasn't fazed and went on to submit 'The Notorious' in the fourth round.

In episode #45 of JRE MMA Show, Rogan told guests Justin Wren and Rafael Lovato Jr. that he was against the UFC considering Nurmagomedov vs. McGregor 2. The longtime UFC commentator mentioned that the Dagestani earned a fairly dominant win in their first bout and named Tony Ferguson as the more appealing challenger. He said:

"Financially [a rematch] would be a fantastic fight.. But when you look at what happened, that was a dominant victory. There was one round where Conor did pretty good... Other than that, Khabib just sort of dominated him... It was the biggest fight of all time. They're saying it's above 2.4 million pay-per-view buys, which is fu**ing bananas. That's huge... If [UFC] could talk people into a rematch, I get it, but I don't want to see that. I want to see Tony. I want to see Tony and Khabib."

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Check out Joe Rogan's comments below (23:33):

Joe Rogan discusses Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor post-fight brawl

Joe Rogan also discussed the infamous post-fight brawl involving Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor's corners.

In the aforementioned episode, Rogan mentioned that he wasn't worried about the brawl carrying over to the commentary desk. However, he was worried about it escalating further and careers being jeopardized. Rogan said:

"I'm so used to people beating the sh*t out of each other... It didn't feel any more dangerous. I was hoping that chairs wouldn't start flying and then it wouldn't get too crazy and I was really, really hoping that somebody wouldn't do something stupid and hurt someone to the point to where they would get kicked out of the UFC or suspended." [26:02]

Check out a clip from Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Conor McGregor post-fight brawl below:

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About the author

Giancarlo Aulino is an MMA news writer and interviewer at Sportskeeda. Having been onboard since 2021, Aulino has written list articles, before transitioning to MMA news writing.

In addition to writing at Sportskeeda, Aulino can be heard on VIBE 105.5FM in Toronto, Canada, where he conducts interviews called 'VIBEtalks.' Aulino's segments have featured many respected athletes, broadcasters, and celebrities. In 2024, Aulino, along with his VIBE 105 Sports team members, rebranded their content to The Game Plan 'TGP'.

In addition to MMA, Aulino was previously a pro wrestling writer and soccer (Football) reporter and covered Toronto FC (Major League Soccer) and York United FC (Canadian Premier League).

Follow him on Twitter: @Gian_411

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Edited by Tejas Rathi