Getty Images Conor McGregor speaks with UFC President Dana White.
Podcaster and UFC commentator Joe Rogan had a stern warning for Conor McGregor after the superstar fighter called out Kamaru Usman for a title shot.
McGregor is still on the mend from a broken leg he suffered at UFC 264 but is plotting his next move, which he says could include a move up to welterweight to take on Usman.
“Now he’s talking about fighting Kamaru Usman. Be careful what you ask for,” Rogan said on his Joe Rogan Experience podcast. “Be careful what you ask for. Usman is a big man and he’s top of the food chain right now. That’s the best pound-for-pound fighter alive, Kamaru Usman, and he’s a natural 170.”
McGregor has looked beefier in recent photos during his recovery and he said on Twitter that he’s walking around at 190 pounds “of granite.” McGregor fought Donald Cerrone at 170 pounds at UFC 246 in 2020 but Rogan says taking on Usman is an entirely different ballgame.
“You’ve got to remember, Conor McGregor won the title at 145 and then he went up to 155 and knocked out Eddie Alvarez to become the champ-champ,” Rogan said on his podcast. “Then he fought at 170 but he fought Cowboy Cerrone who is a natural 155 pounder. No knock on Cowboy, Cowboy’s beat a lot of good 170 pounders, he’s an elite fighter, but Usman’s a different thing. That’s a different peak. There’s no oxygen at the top of that mountain. That’s as good as it gets ever at 170.”
Rogan Questioned McGregor’s Mental Toughness
Usman is 20-1 as a professional fighter and has defended his belt five times. McGregor is just 1-3 over his last four fights, all three of those losses coming inside of the distance — albeit one was due to a broken leg.
Usman’s lone loss came in his second professional fight when he got caught in a rear-naked choke by Jose Caceres. Rogan believes Usman’s mental toughness is something McGregor wouldn’t be prepared for.
“The strength of the mind is so important,” Rogan said. “The ability to overcome, the ability to figure out what to do in times of peril, when things go sideways, how do you adjust? What decisions do you make? Whether you have any give up in you? Some people have a little give up in them, you just have to find, what’s that threshold? And people have made Conor give up. He’s tapped. Nobody’s made Usman tap except one time.”
McGregor Believes he Deserves Title Shot
Many have scoffed at the idea of McGregor getting an immediate shot at the belt, including Usman, who responded on social media.
“I don’t take anything that he says seriously because I understand he’s just a clout chaser,” Usman said in an interview with Sky Sports. “He’s just looking for clout. He likes to attach his name to the guy at the top of the sport, just to announce his resurgence.
“That’s what he does. If he’s fighting, he’s going to tweet about it. If I’m fighting, he’s going to tweet something. He just wants to keep his name relevant out there, because obviously his fighting isn’t doing the talking anymore. He wants to keep his name out there, that’s why his fingers are doing the talking nowadays.”
Like it or not, McGregor is still the UFC’s most significant draw. And the former two-division camp feels he’s deserving of getting a quick title shot.
“Enough is enough with the disrespect that comes my way, you know what I mean?” McGregor said. “People are gonna give me my respect for the many facets of my game — my fighting style and everything else. I’m gonna waltz back into a title shot, make no mistake about it.”