Former UFC two-division champion Daniel Cormier praised Joe Rogan for asking the tough questions at UFC 279.
The top-ranked welterweight contender Khamzat Chimaev took on longtime foe Kevin Holland this past Saturday. Chimaev was originally scheduled to face Nate Diaz in the headlining bout of UFC 279 but got matched up with Holland on a day’s notice after he came in seven and a half pounds over the agreed weight limit.
Chimaev got off to a quick start and ran through Holland in the new co-main event, securing a first-round finish by submission. It marked the fourth UFC outing for Chimaev where he did not absorb a single significant strike.
Following the event, fighter-turned-commentator Cormier shared his thoughts on Chimaev’s sensational win. He lauded color commentator Rogan for pressing “Borz” to talk about his missed weight.
“Khamzat Chimaev is a future champion,” Cormier said. “I want to know a little bit more about the weight cut issue. In the octagon, he said that the official pulled the plug on him the night before. He was closer than 7.5 pounds.
“I love that Joe Rogan asked him the hard questions. He tried to avoid it, ‘I don’t want to talk about this s***.’ Joe goes, ‘no, you have to talk about it because people think that you are a future champion. If you can’t make the weight, how can you become the champion?’ I love that Joe held his foot to the fire a little bit.”
Cormier Believes Chimaev Gave More Details on the Matter
During Friday morning official weigh-ins, Chimaev did not seem to care about coming in at 178.5 pounds as he flipped off his middle fingers at the cameras. Members of the community expressed sharp disapproval of Chimaev’s reaction on the scales and demanded an explanation for his actions.
“DC” believes Rogan was able to draw out more details from Chimaev by staying firm on the subject.
“And then he gave us some answers. He gave us some answers, he said something to the effect of, ‘I knew that I was going to fight this guy. They told me to eat some vitamins, and drink some water because I wasn’t healthy.’ So, he kinda gave us more than he would have given us if Joe didn’t press him a little bit. So I’m happy Rogan pressed him a little bit to find out.”
Chimaev Was Not Bothered by the Hate
Chimaev went into fight week as a fan favorite but turned heel to become one of the leading antagonists in the sport. It appears that he did not care about the hate he received at the event and instead found a level of satisfaction for the coverage of his antics.
“Watch the weigh in on Instagram, look at who has the most views,” Chimaev said at the post-fight press conference (transcribed by Aaron Bronsteter of TSN Sports ). “Look at how many views I have and Diaz have and you’ll see who’s more of a star. People can say they don’t want to watch me fight, they’re liars. Everyone want to watch my fights, everyone wants to see a killer. Not that smoking sh*t and drug dealers here. I’m a professional athlete here.”
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Joe Rogan Lauded for Pressing UFC 279 Fighter To Answer Hard Questions