“Security doesn’t know he’s the champ.” This recent iconic mic moment from Joe Rogan happened when Belal Muhammad wasn’t recognized by security and was stopped from entering the octagon. Despite always bringing high energy, even Rogan finds himself struggling at times, especially when it comes to pronouncing the names of Russian and Dagestani fighters.
UFC commentator Rogan recently opened up about the challenges of pronouncing Russian and Dagestani fighters’ names, admitting that some of them are incredibly tough to get right. He shared that he once messed up the name of Umar Nurmagomedov, a member of Team Khabib, during a broadcast. Speaking on his latest podcast, Rogan said:
“There are struggles, some of them are rough. I f**ked up Umar Nurmagomedov’s name once. There are a lot of these Russian and Dagestani names that are crazy.”
Joe Rogan opens up about the struggle of pronouncing Russian/Dagestani names:
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) May 24, 2025
"Some of those names are crazy!" 😅🇷🇺🎙️
"There are struggles, some of them are rough. I f**ked up Umar Nurmagomedov's name once. There are a lot of these Russian and Dagestani names that are crazy.… pic.twitter.com/Cu5FAdpeRB
Rogan explained that when fighters are new to the UFC, he often hasn’t seen them compete before, so he looks up their past fights online. However, even those videos sometimes feature different pronunciations, leading to confusion. To avoid mistakes, the UFC now relies on voice recordings from the fighters themselves to get the correct pronunciation.
Joe Rogan Says BJ Penn Could Have Beaten Khabib And Every Lightweight At His Peak
The UFC’s lightweight division has seen legends like Conor McGregor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Islam Makhachev rise to the top, but Joe Rogan thinks one forgotten great might’ve topped them all. On a recent podcast, Rogan shared that a prime BJ Penn could’ve beaten any lightweight, including Khabib. Speaking on his podcast, Rogan said:
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“People talk about Khabib being the greatest lightweight of all time, and maybe he is. It’s very possible he is. But I would put the BJ Penn that fought Joe Daddy Stevenson, the BJ Penn that fought Sean Sherk, the BJ Penn that was like in that peak. I would put him against anybody.”
He highlighted Penn’s dangerous striking and world-class grappling, comparing him favorably to the most dominant lightweights in UFC history. However, fans still consider both fighters to be one of the greatest lightweights ever.
Also Read: UFC Fighter Goes Wild Reacting To StreetBeefs Fighter Who Looks Just Like Joe Rogan
