Joe Rogan explains how disputable moment in Islam Makhachev fight could've had different consequences if not for one rule: "We thought he was hurt"

Joe Rogan recently recalled the Islam Makhachev vs. Renato Moicano title fight at UFC 311 and shared his thoughts on one brief moment in the fight when the champion seemed to be in a vulnerable position.

Makhachev fought Moicano on very short notice after Arman Tsarukyan was forced out of the original title matchup due to medical reasons. Despite the opponent change, the Dagestani grappling maestro put on a masterclass and beat the Brazilian via a quick first-round submission.

During the fight, there was a notable moment when it looked as if Moicano knocked down Makhachev. While the Brazilian claims it was a knockdown, others believe the lightweight champion simply slipped.

In a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience podcast with Brian Simpson (JRE #2266), the UFC commentator recalled that moment and pointed out how their fight to have monitor screens for judges paid off. He said:

"The judges have monitors now. They didn’t used to have monitors. In the early days, we had to fight to get them monitors. We’re like, ‘We should be able to show them stuff in the replay that the crowd is seeing 'cause sometimes you think a guy got knocked down, but he didn’t.' He just tripped."

He continued:

"That happened in that fight with Islam Makhachev and Moicano. Moicano caught him with a right hand, and it looked like he dropped him... But really what happened is he kind of hit him in the shoulder and they tripped legs together. And Islam fell down. We thought he was hurt... When if you saw the replay, ‘Oh he didn’t rock him. He just slipped.”

Seven-inch screens were notably approved for judges to use just before UFC 130 in May 2011 by the Nevada Commission.

Catch Joe Rogan's comments below (2:28:14):

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Daniel Cormier on Islam Makhachev potentially fighting Dricus du Plessis at middleweight

Islam Makhachev wants to be a double champion and recently opened up about potentially challenging Dricus du Plessis for the middleweight title. Given that Makhachev's close friend and training partner Belal Muhammad reigns over the welterweight division, it appears he's set his sights on the 185-pound belt.

While many believe Makhachev could stand a chance, Daniel Cormier doesn't believe so. In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, 'DC' dismissed Makhachev's goals and said:

"I know it may not look as appealing to some as they want their world champion to look but, we just watched him submit Israel Adesanya... We've seen him beat Sean Strickland, we've seen him finish Robert Whittaker, at some point we have to respect Dricus du Plessis... I don't know that Islam would understand how hard it would be to fight a guy of that size."

Catch Daniel Cormier's comments below (9:08):