What did Robert Whittaker say about Khamzat Chimaev beating Dricus du Plessis?

Robert Whittaker and Joe Rogan agreed that Khamzat Chimaev's win over Dricus du Plessis showed a huge gap in wrestling, with the champion trapped in a crucifix three times. Whittaker said he is sometimes jealous of pure wrestlers because they take little damage and can last longer. He felt that even the closest round, the fifth, was shaped by the referee restoring positions to du Plessis. Whittaker then asked Rogan where control stops being fighting, and Rogan said that if you cannot get up, you are losing.

• Rogan said he had heard Chimaev took a big-money fight with Sean Strickland on short notice and lost too much weight getting down to 185 pounds.
• The conversation recalled Chimaev missing weight by about eight pounds before his scheduled fight with Nate Diaz, as a sign of how hard the cut is for him.

Source: our own transcription of the episode. The full conversation is on The Joe Rogan Experience (2026-10-22). Read the whole episode summary →

▸More from this episode