Joe Rogan believes underdog fighter could’ve stopped Khabib Nurmagomedov’s perfect record

In an interview, UFC commentator Joe Rogan pointed to BJ Penn as the fighter who could beat Khabib Nurmagomedov during his period of dominance as UFC Lightweight Champion. According to Joe Rogan in his podcast with Deric Poston, he believes that BJ Penn could have defeated Khabib Nurmagomedov during Deric Penn's peak timeframe, even though Deric Penn had accumulated 14 losses throughout his career.
Khabib Nurmagomedov, who retired in 2020, never lost a fight throughout his professional career and rarely even lost a round against elite opponents, including Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje.
"During that run when BJ Penn beat up Diego and f—ed up Sean Sherk and Joe Stevenson, when he did that? That BJ Penn might be the baddest motherf—er alive," Rogan stated on his podcast. The longtime UFC commentator specifically pointed to Penn's period when he trained with Marv Marinovich, describing how this particular training regimen transformed BJ Penn into a fighter during that period of his career.
While acknowledging Khabib Nurmagomedov's unparalleled grappling skills and dominance against elite wrestlers, Joe Rogan maintained that a prime BJ Penn presented a unique challenge that might have tested the Russian champion. "I would have liked to see that BJ Penn vs Khabib Nurmagomedov. That would have been f—ing crazy," Joe Rogan said, though he admitted Khabib Nurmagomedov might still have prevailed.
Fans can hear more of Joe Rogan's MMA analysis on his podcast "The Joe Rogan Experience", available on Spotify and YouTube. Khabib Nurmagomedov remains retired from competition, while BJ Penn has not competed in the UFC since 2019.
Also Read: From one champ to another: Khabib Nurmagomedov commends Belal Muhammad’s journey
The theoretical matchup between these two legendary fighters remains one of MMA's great "what if" scenarios that will continue to fuel debate among fighting enthusiasts.