Joe Rogan is in awe of Russian athletes and their dominance in martial arts.
Khabib Nurmagomedov led the way before retiring in 2020 and passing the mantle to Islam Makhachev, who has since become the UFC lightweight champion and pound-for-pound number one.
Umar Nurmagomedov will look to keep Russian MMA's winning streak going when he takes on Merab Dvalishvili for the bantamweight title at UFC 311 on January 11.
Outside of his favorite sport, Joe Rogan was also blown away by several Russian boxers, with undisputed light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev leaving a particularly lasting impression.
Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Joe Rogan dissects Russia's dominance in martial arts
In June, Joe Rogan sat down for a chat with former UFC lightweight contender Paul Felder.
Somehow they got to talking about Rugball, also known as Wrestleball or Regball, a Russian full-contact sport that combines elements of basketball, wrestling and rugby.
Rogan and Felder then switched to Russian fighters, who have become dominant in recent years.
“They're some tough damn people,” the legendary UFC commentator said.
“Now when you think about the amount of top talent coming out of Eastern Europe, along with Russia, Dagestan and Chechnya, damn A, man.
“I mean, even in boxing. Oh my God! Beterbiev is so damn tough. 19-0, 19 knockouts.
“What the fuck, man? He's such a beast, he's from Chechnya. I mean, he's 38 years old, so he should be taking the big fights [soon]. He was one of the guys they were talking about about Canelo [Alvarez] fighting at light heavyweight, and I would have loved to see that!
“That damn world out there. Hard people. You think of war-torn Chechnya, that's where Khamzat Chimaev is from, and that's where Bertebiev is from.
“When you think about some of our greatest fighters in America growing up in poor neighborhoods, these guys are growing up in war-torn poor neighborhoods.”
Beterbiev has since defeated fellow Russian phenom Dmitry Bivol, who boasts a win over Canelo, and established himself as the best 175-pound boxer in the world. They will play again on February 22 on a mega card in Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, Chimaev has become one of the top middleweight prospects. The 14-0 UFC star sent shockwaves through the MMA world when he put Robert Whittaker's teeth into the ring with a vicious submission at UFC 308 in October.
It looks like the Russians will continue to dominate MMA and boxing in 2025.
Dan Hardy says Russian fighters have exposed shortcomings in MMA training
Six division titles were on the line at the PFL World Championships last November, with Russian athletes winning four of those finals to become world champions and take home a $1 million prize.
Former UFC fighter Dan Hardy, who is now PFL's Head of Fighter Operations in Europe, has a unique perspective on the current state of MMA.
In an exclusive conversation with Bloody Elbow, 'The Outlaw' explained why he believes Russian athletes are achieving more success than anyone else.
“MMA goes in waves, and I think if you've been watching it for a long time, you see the cycles come and go,” Hardy said.
“The current cycle right now, which is very beautiful and has been revealed by many Russian fighters, is that most people do not see MMA as one system.
“They showed a comprehensive game, and I think what they're doing is they're influencing the rest of MMA to catch up with us; we are currently leading the way because our games are seamless. And that will challenge all other gyms around the world to reach that level.
“The other thing I would say is that a lot of those guys are exporting that fighting style. You talk to Brendan Loughnane, and he spent time training with those Russian guys in Thailand, they're in the AKA in the US and on the top US team.
“The style that dominates all of MMA at the moment is starting to permeate all gyms and it's going to be a very interesting few years [in the sport].”
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