Joe Rogan stated that Kamaru Usman with a full training camp and in a five-round fight could pose serious problems for Khamzat Chimaev. Usman accepted the fight on short notice at middleweight and was winning the third round before losing. Rogan emphasized that a properly prepared Usman in a five-round format would make for a very interesting contest. The original bout saw Usman step in without a full camp and compete outside his natural weight class.
Joe Rogan has argued that Kamaru Usman, given a full training camp and a five-round fight, could present a serious challenge to Khamzat Chimaev — a claim rooted in how competitive their original bout already proved to be.
Usman, 39, entered that fight on short notice and outside his natural weight class, moving up from welterweight where he holds an eighth-place ranking. Despite those disadvantages, the former champion — who carries a 21-4 record and lands 4.36 significant strikes per minute with a 76-inch reach — was reportedly winning the third round before the contest turned. Competing for Kill Cliff FC out of the United States, Usman is widely regarded as one of the best welterweights of his generation, and his wrestling credentials are underscored by 2.82 takedowns per 15 minutes across his career.
Chimaev, meanwhile, sits at number one in the middleweight division and tenth on the pound-for-pound rankings. The 32-year-old Borz, representing the UAE and Allstars Training Center, owns a 15-1 record and remains one of the most statistically dominant fighters in the sport. He lands 4.04 significant strikes per minute at a remarkable 60 percent accuracy and averages 5.29 takedowns per 15 minutes — a grappling output that puts him in rare company. His submission threat at 1.8 attempts per 15 minutes adds another layer of danger over championship distance.
Rogan's comments centered specifically on the five-round format, suggesting a fully prepared Usman would make for a very different and far more competitive fight than what fans witnessed.
Why it matters
- Usman entered the original bout without a full camp and at a natural weight disadvantage, limiting any conclusions that can be drawn from the result
- A hypothetical rematch at middleweight or welterweight over five rounds would carry significant divisional implications for both fighters
- The stylistic matchup — Usman's reach, striking volume, and wrestling versus Chimaev's elite accuracy and takedown rate — makes the contest genuinely difficult to dismiss
