Why Joe Rogan Still Calls Khabib’s UFC 229 Weigh-In the Greatest of All Time
Joe Rogan has named Khabib Nurmagomedov's UFC 229 callout as the greatest weigh-in ever, and Paddy Pimblett talks about 'The Eagle's' retirement.
Years after Khabib Nurmagomedov hung up his gloves, his rivalry with Conor McGregor still sets the gold standard for fight week drama. During a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, longtime UFC commentator Joe Rogan and lightweight contender Paddy Pimblett revisited the ceremonial weigh-ins for UFC 229 in October 2018.
For Rogan, nothing in promotional history tops the moment Nurmagomedov stepped onto the scale wearing his signature white papakha amid a hostile, pro-McGregor crowd in Las Vegas. Instead of getting rattled by the deafening boos, the Dagestani champion grabbed the microphone and delivered a calm promise.
"The greatest f---ing weigh-in ever," Rogan recalled. "Khabib when he fought Conor, all the Irish were there, and Khabib has the crazy hat on, he goes, 'I’m gonna smash your boy.' Khabib has this big smile on his face, 'Tomorrow night I’m gonna smash your boy.'"
Delivering on his Promise
Standing right there on stage just feet away from the chaos gave Rogan a front-row seat to the psychological warfare, which only adds to his admiration for the moment. Plenty of fighters talk a big game under the bright lights, yet Nurmagomedov backed up every single syllable inside the Octagon the very next night.
At UFC 229, Nurmagomedov outlanded McGregor 70-51 in significant strikes, scored three takedowns and forced the Irish superstar to tap out to a fourth-round neck crank. It was a clinical, dominant performance on the biggest pay-per-view stage in mixed martial arts history, drawing a record 2.4 million buys.
Pimblett couldn't help but laugh at the memory, giving credit where it was due while complaining that Nurmagomedov walked away from the sport in his absolute prime. "He wasn’t lying, lad," Pimblett said. "I wish he wouldn’t have retired so soon, though."
Nurmagomedov ultimately stepped away in October 2020 with a spotless 29-0 record after submitting Justin Gaethje at UFC 254. Even without a longer title reign, that promise on the UFC 229 stage remains an unforgettable piece of MMA history.
