After the UFC 274 event, this past weekend, Dana White had his eyes set on a clash that he thinks is the next in line to happen. However, he got mind-changing advice from Joe Rogan in the hallway to the press conference.
Chael Sonnen, an ex-UFC fighter, a mixed martial artist turned grappling promoter is questioning this. Why would Joe Rogan have a say in the organization of the fights? Is he speaking on the behalf of someone? And who could that someone could be?
Who Is Joe Rogan To Have A Say In Who Fights Who Next?
“Who do you think Joe is speaking up on behalf of? This is the most competitive and hardest match currently booked at 155 pounds. I do not see any reason for being against this match. Unless somebody has an injury and Joe has inside information on that.”
Dana White had in mind to arrange a fight between Islam Makhachev and Beneil Dariush, both are relatively on the rase as great fighters and both on a great winning streak. When you look at it, it seems like the perfect match for an exciting and good fight.
Islam Makhachev, or better known as the Nurmagomedov’s prodigy, has a professional record of 22-1-0 and is on a winning streak of 10 fights. He hasn’t lost a fight in the UFC since 2016. His wrestling and grappling techniques and the fact that his trainer is the undisputed Khabib Nurmagomedov send fear to his opponents. Some critics predict that if the turn of events is in his favor, he might easily become the next UFC lightweight champion.
On the other hand, Beneil Dariush is a fighter that has a record of 21-4-1. He has a winning streak of 7 fights and has similar fighting style to Islam’s. His last loss to Alexander Hernandez is back in 2018 and since then, he is on an incline-slope in his career. Going only up. He is currently Nr.6 on the UFC lightweight rankings.
This is not the first time that this fight has been on Dana White’s mind. Back in February, he had his mind laid on a bout between the two at the UFC Vegas 49 event. However, this as well did not happen due to an injury of the Iranian Beneil Dariush.
At the press conference of the UFC 274 event, Dana White once again revealed that he is to postpone such an event, until the unforeseeable future.
“I do like the idea of Makhachev fighting Dariush next, but Joe Rogan just grabbed me in the hallway and told me not to.” – Dana White says.
What’s Joe’s idea behind this?
Joe Rogan believes that instead of this bout, it would be better if we see the Russian Islam Makhachev against the number one contender for the title, Charles Oliveira. Charles Oliveira lost his belt due to missing the weight at the weighting for the UFC 274. Now, in order to have the belt back, he needs to fight one more guy, suitable for a title shot.
However, according to critics, the best match in the lightweight division would indeed be Makhachev against Dariush. According to the critics, it is likely that Joe Rogan might want to allow Islam Makhachev a title shot. The background to this Rogan’s ‘wish’ is unclear for now.
What do you think? Does Islam have what it takes to be given a title shot? Why does Joe Rogan want to put him directly with Oliveira?
