“Nightmare for Khabib and Islam Makhachev”: Joe Rogan Makes Huge BJ Penn Claim
.webp&w=3840&q=75)
The veteran UFC commentator pits BJ Penn against any lightweight fighter in history, detailing why such a matchup would be terrifying.
Joe Rogan has witnessed more historic UFC fights from ringside than anyone alive on the planet. Thus, he has a say in the UFC GOAT debate.
For the most part, Rogan’s choice has been BJ Penn. And not the BJ Penn from later years, when he got stopped repeatedly. The one from the Marinovich years.
Joe Rogan Puts Penn Against Anyone, Even Khabib and Islam
"I always point to BJ Penn, because BJ Penn in his prime was f*cking insane. I would put prime BJ Penn at 155 pounds against anybody ever. Anybody at 155 ever," Rogan said.
Rogan didn’t outright state that Penn would have beaten Khabib and Islam, but he is confident that Penn would have presented a tough challenge. “I don't know if he would have beaten Khabib. Khabib is an all-time great. I don't know if he would have beaten Islam, but I know it would have been a nightmare. It would have been a nightmare. He was a f*cking phenom,” he added.
Furthermore, the veteran commentator backed his statement by pointing to Benn’s absolute prime time. “And when he was in really great shape, when the Marinovichs were training him, and he was doing all those crazy plyometrics with this insane gas tank, he was just a monster. Just an insane genius fighter,” Rogan concluded.
Why the Hypothetical Against Khabib and Islam Is Fascinating
The reason Rogan’s claims carry weight is because of the style. Khabib and Islam usually drag their opponents to the ground, control them for 25 minutes, or finish them.
However, Penn's jiu-jitsu was extremely effective. He wasn't someone you take down on the mat and sit on. He was deadly on the mat and extremely unpredictable in his submissions.
Khabib, of course, was in a different category. A clean 29-0 record and the fact that he has never lost a round make the conversation even more difficult.
Islam, meanwhile, stands 17-0, alone at the top of the UFC's all-time consecutive win streak record, and represents an even more refined challenger.
Rogan doesn’t claim Penn wins. He is claiming the fight would be a nightmare, and given what Benn brings to the table, the argument is very difficult to dismiss.
