Joe Rogan entertained a surprising suggestion for Khamzat Chimaev’s first title defense at middleweight.
Nassourdine Imavov (17-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC) thinks he’s done enough to stake his claim at a title shot after outstriking Caio Borralho in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 258 headliner at Accor Arena in Paris, but Rogan, Gordon Ryan, Brendan Schaub and Bryan Callen debated whether that will happen on the most recent episode of “JRE Fight Companion.”
Reinier de Ridder and Anthony Hernandez also are in the running when they square off in the UFC Fight Night 262 main event Oct. 18 in Vancouver, but Rogan thinks the division’s most polarizing figure, Sean Strickland, could leapfrog all the contenders.
“Who’s getting Khamzat next? It really depends what that fight (De Ridder vs. Hernandez) looks like, right, because this was a f*cking war,” Rogan said of Imavov vs. Borralho. “This was a good fight. He might not have stopped him, but he put on a show. They both went after it. Interesting, but who is the big star behind these guys now, behind Imavov? So Imavov just has this great performance. Who’s the big star other than him? (Strickland) is the biggest star, for sure.
“I wonder if he can get right back in there like that? But does he go right back into a title shot or does he have to fight somebody? He lost to Dricus (Du Plessis). He hasn’t lost to anybody since then. That was quite a while ago. He also had staph going into that second fight (against Du Plessis at UFC 312). You’re also fighting one of the most physical guys in the division who’s a f*cking bulldog. Dricus is an animal. He never gets tired, comes f*cking throwing haymakers at you, he keeps punching.”
Sean Strickland (29-7 MMA, 16-7 UFC) holds a win over Imavov when he stepped in on short notice to fight him in a light heavyweight main event in January 2023. Since beating Imavov, former middleweight champion Strickland’s only two losses have come against Dricus Du Plessis, most recently at UFC 312 in February.
