Several of Joe Rogan’s buddies joined him for the JRE Fight Companion as they watched UFC 297 live. In the main event, Dricus du Plessis competed against Sean Strickland to earn the UFC middleweight title. After the main event’s split decision winner was revealed, Rogan and his friends started talking about who the new champion may take on next.
Rogan enthusiastically proposed a showdown between du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 300. Chimaev had previously called out the South African, positioning himself as a likely contender for the title. However, Rogan’s enthusiasm waned when he discovered that UFC 300 coincided with Ramadan.
Ramadan will take place from the second week of March to the second week of April. This clashes with the UFC 300 event, which is scheduled for April 13, 2024.
There are also speculations that UFC 300 may occur soon after Ramadan. But Islam Makhachev has said he would compete in the summer, not in the middle of March or April.
Inquiring about the feasibility of Muslim competitors adjusting their schedules during Ramadan, Rogan questioned: “Can’t you just sleep all day? Can’t you just adjust your sleeping?”
Belal Muhammad had described to Rogan his Ramadan routine on a previous JRE episode. Citing that, Rogan said: “But I know that uh Belal’s done camps through Ramadan.”
While Chimaev remained silent on competing during Ramadan, UFC lightweight champion Makhachev revealed his intentions. There were rumors that Makhachev might challenge BMF champion Justin Gaethje to defend his title. Therefore, Makhachev shifted his plans to June to accommodate Ramadan constraints.
Instead, it was later announced that Gaethje will defend his BMF title against Max Holloway at UFC 300. Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan are set for a #1 contender match.
Makhachev is currently eyeing a clash with Gaethje in June and the winner of Oliveira vs. Tsarukyan in November.
On an episode of the JRE MMA Show, UFC welterweight competitor Belal Muhammad shared his training routine during Ramadan. He highlighted the challenges of abstaining from food and water until the early morning prayers at 4:30 am.
He said: “I got morning prayers usually at like 4:30 am. So you have all the way up until that 4:30 am to eat or drink. So, I’ll probably wake up at 4 am. I’m treating it like I just had a wake up so I’m drinking a Pedialyte. Making sure that I have good carbs in. I’m eating white rice, eggs, and good protein. So I just have to be very smart with what I’m eating and not just like, junk.”
Rogan expressed surprise at the difficulty of training without water. He said: “That’s gonna be hard to not drink water while you’re training.”
However, Muhammad assured him of the body’s adaptive capabilities. He said: “Your body never knows it’s limit.”
Muhammad shed light on the disciplined lifestyle of Muslim combatants during Ramadan. Referring to Khabib Nurmagomedov’s training camp, he said: “It is a different type of mentality that a lot of gyms don’t have of being more disciplined. I think a lot of it comes from being Muslim… None of the guys are drinking, none of the guys are going down there and partying.”
While Muslim combatants adhere to rigorous discipline during Ramadan, the decision to participate in bouts during this holy month remains a personal choice.