VIDEO | Joe Rogan and Jimmy Smith Praise Khabib Nurmagomedov’s UFC 219 Performance

He’s back and everyone is terrified. Khabib Nurmagomedov made weight with no problems and went in there to take on arguably his biggest challenge yet in Edson Barboza. His performance was as dominant as any other fight he’s had. Against Michael Johnson, against former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos, it doesn’t matter, so far Nurmagomedov has done whatever he wanted to his opponents. On Joe Rogan’s MMA Show today, Rogan and new free broadcasting agent Jimmy Smith talked about how much of a beast Nurmagomedov is.

“[Khabib] Nurmagomedov just mauled [Edson Barboza]. Mauled him. I mean, mauled him in a way that you go, ‘Oh God.’ He’s just on such another level that the odds of you beating him drop so substantially after the first minute and a half. After you get – you saw the look on Barboza’s face there’s like, two minutes plus into the first round and he’s trying to get up. You see the look on his face and he’s like, ‘F-ck, how am I going to deal with this?’ Like, this is so next level.” — Joe Rogan today on his MMA Show.

This one of Barboza, thousand-mile stare, really got to me even as I was taking the photo. #UFC219 #anywherebuthere pic.twitter.com/lmYNijZDbo

— esther lin (@allelbows) December 31, 2017

“It’s almost to me like a throwback kind of fighter. If you remember back in the day, guys that didn’t have a real solid wrestling or jiu jitsu background, when they felt that pressure they kind of went, ‘Oh my God.’ They didn’t have any experience with it. They were just like, ‘Holy crap.’ It’s like a truck rolling over you. You almost have that look on [Barboza’s] face.  Like, I’ve never felt anything like this [in my life]. For someone that’s training at Barboza’s level – you can always train with high level guys, train with all kinds of outstanding wrestlers and jiu jitsu guys – to have that look like, ‘this is some crazy pressure,’ that’s insane because no one has secret techniques anymore. It’s not divided skill-wise. […] Barboza had a look in his eye like, ‘I have never felt like anything like this in my life.’ That’s incredible considering modern techniques.” — Jimmy Smith speaking to Joe Rogan on his MMA Show.

Ain’t nobody want a piece of this. #UFC219 pic.twitter.com/9bWfUKK6H5

— esther lin (@allelbows) December 31, 2017

This all begs the question: What is next for the Sambo smashing machine? The UFC and both teams have tried to get Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson in a locked cage four times to no avail. Despite the trouble, no one can deny it’s still a fight that everyone wants to see. It’s hard to see Khabib taking a fight before Conor McGregor decides what he wants to do with Tony Ferguson. He’ll probably wait for that fight but if it doesn’t happen, it could be fifth time the charm with this time being for a stripped lightweight title. Either way, all eyes are back on The Eagle have his dominating performance over one of the most dangerous strikers in the entire division.

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 1/2/2018.