- Conor McGregor should be exempt from criticism for the way he tapped out at UFC 229, according to fight expert Joe Rogan.
- Khabib Nurmagomedov locked in a tight neck crank, forcing McGregor to submit in the fourth round of a wildly entertaining bout last month.
- Critics on the internet, who Rogan says have never trained in their life, do not understand the complexities of the choke-hold that Nurmagomedov applied.
- Rogan says these people are "out of their f------ minds."
Conor McGregor was dominated and then submitted by Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229 in October.
The Irish striker tapped in the fourth round when the Russian wrestler applied a tight neck crank, and though the finishing move gave the fight a conclusive finish, some fans were not satisfied and criticised McGregor for giving up too easily.
This has angered UFC expert Joe Rogan, who has said that fans who have never trained in mixed martial arts but are quick to judge a professional athlete who does are "out of their f------ minds."
Speaking on his popular Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Rogan said: "He did not tap prematurely. He did not defend it though. Here's the deal. He was done, he was beaten down. Khabib f----- him up. Khabib smashed him.
"There was a lot of people who don't train who think that that was something that you shouldn't tap to. They are out of their f------ minds. That is what is called a fulcrum choke. It's not necessarily a choke but it does choke you and it really feels like your f------ head is going to pop off."
Rogan added that Nurmagomedov used his strength and grappling skills to lock in a move around McGregor's face in the fourth round, and squeezed down on the 30-year-old's face by clamping his hands together and pressing his forearm against his back. "All his muscles are designed to squeeze, crush, and smash," Rogan said of Nurmagomedov.
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Rogan is the voice of the UFC.
"If you look at what Conor did, Conor just waited until he couldn't take it anymore more and tapped. Both of his arms were down. He was getting his neck cranked and he didn't defend. That was a perfect example of the fulcrum choke. It's a neck crank. It's a choke, there's a lot of s--- going on there. It doesn't have to be under the chin, it can be on the face and you're going to get f----- up."
McGregor, unfazed by the dominant loss, began campaigning for a rematch within hours of tapping out. He also claimed he actually won the battle and that "the war goes on."
Since then, Nurmagomedov's stock has risen considerably and he has even been linked with a fight against McGregor, but UFC boss Dana White is reportedly planning a long-awaited bout with Tony Ferguson.
With McGregor seemingly pushed to the back of the line of options for Nurmagomedov, he has said he does not mind fighting a lower-ranked opponent until he gets his rematch.