UFC commentator Joe Rogan believes Khabib Nurmagomedov "showed respect" to Justin Gaethje in comparison to his submission victory over bitter rival Conor McGregor.
Gaethje's first title challenge came against Nurmagomedov in 2020, where the Russian star choked out Gaethje in the second round before announcing his retirement. Two years prior, Nurmagomedov came head-to-head with bitter rival McGregor whom he choked out in the fourth round, sparking a chaotic brawl between the pair's respective teams.
Rogan has claimed that Nurmagomedov "beat the f***" out of McGregor during his submission attempt which showed the respectful bond between the Russian and Gaethje. "Khabib chooses to smash you, he smashes people," Rogan said on a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience. "If you look at the Justin Gaethje fight, he also submitted Gaethje. They do like each other.
"Justin actually helped Khabib cut weight. When they had that fight, Khabib liked him, so he decided, 'I'm just gonna submit that dude.' "He chose a way to beat him a way that he wouldn't have chosen to beat Conor. When he was on top of Conor, he was smashing his face... just beating the f**k out of him. Against Justin, he went for the armbar. Which is unusual for him. But this is Khabib's respect for Gaethje as a person, as a fighter."
Nurmagomedov remained undefeated throughout his career and ended it with his submission victory over Gaethje. His match-up with McGregor was the most high-profile of his career with their rivalry dating back to an infamous bus attack by the Irishman prior to their octagon meeting.
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Their heated rivalry continues to this day with McGregor and Nurmagomedov frequently trading verbal jabs on social media over their previous meeting. A rematch has frequently been called for by UFC president Dana White but Nurmagomedov has consistently refused to entertain a comeback.
Nurmagomedov has since described his choke hold claiming he could have killed McGregor if the referee did not step in to halt the fight. "You saw what happened. Remove Herb Dean and you yourself will understand whether I would have gone to the end or not," Khabib explained to RT. "A person can die from such a [grip]. If I were to strangle you a little behind the scenes, you would understand what it is about.
"When a person strangles you and has been doing this for 30 years, this is a cold weapon. If there had been no referee, what could have happened? [Dean] removed my hands, he removed my grip. We... understand everything, we understand what could have been."
Gaethje has since rekindled his title ambitions after the loss to Nurmagomedov and will challenge current champion Charles Oliveira this weekend at UFC 274. The American has insisted he will make the Brazilian "walk through hell" and will not repeat the defensive game plan he adopted during defeat to the Russian two years ago.
