Joe Rogan believes that Kamaru Usman with a full training camp and in a five-round fight could have posed serious problems for Khamzat Chimaev. Usman accepted the bout on short notice at middleweight, and by the third round Kamaru was winning. Rogan suggests this would have been a very interesting fight if it had been scheduled for five rounds and if Usman had a full training camp. The commentary highlights how Usman was competitive despite the disadvantages of weight class and preparation time.
UFC color commentator Joe Rogan has argued that Kamaru Usman, given a full training camp and a five-round format, would have given Khamzat Chimaev serious problems — comments that have drawn renewed attention to how competitive the short-notice bout actually was.
Rogan's assessment centers on the circumstances surrounding Usman's appearance. The 39-year-old welterweight stepped up to middleweight on short notice, facing a fighter a full weight class above his natural home. Despite those disadvantages, Rogan noted that Usman was winning by the third round, a point he used to anchor his broader argument about what a fully prepared version of the former champion could have looked like.
Usman, who trains out of Kill Cliff FC, carries a professional record of 21-4-0 and is currently ranked eighth in the welterweight division. He stands six feet tall with a 76-inch reach and has averaged 4.36 significant strikes per minute over his career, along with 2.82 takedowns per 15 minutes — numbers that reflect his well-rounded, pressure-based style.
Chimaev, ranked first in the middleweight division and tenth on the pound-for-pound list, presents a uniquely difficult challenge for any opponent. The 32-year-old from the UAE, who trains at Allstars Training Center, holds a 15-1-0 record and is one of the most statistically dominant fighters in the sport. He lands 4.04 significant strikes per minute at a remarkable 60 percent accuracy rate, and his wrestling is equally suffocating at 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes.
Why it matters
- Rogan's comments reignite the debate about how competitive the fight truly was given its short-notice, catchweight nature
- A fully prepared Usman at or near his natural weight class would be a different proposition for even a top-ranked middleweight
- The matchup highlights the rare combination of elite striking and elite wrestling that Chimaev presents, and how few fighters have tested it as closely as Usman appeared to
