“The tax that he has to pay to hold these bigger, stronger guys down. Look at what he did to Dustin Poirier, look at what he did to Charles Oliveira. Just crushes them when he gets on top of them. This is the difference between him at 155 and him at 170. I understand what he wants to do, but man, if I was in his corner, I'd be like, 'Maybe we (should go back down).'”

Joe Rogan · said 2026-08-15 · reported 2026-08-17

Rogan compared Makhachev's dominance over lightweights such as Dustin Poirier and Charles Oliveira with his performance at welterweight, suggesting he might return to 155.