It’s safe to say the lightweight division has produced some of the most skilled fighters in MMA history. A few have even entered the GOAT conversation, with Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev leading the way. And it’s hard to argue against it! The Dagestani duo has a strong claim to being the greatest 155-pound fighters ever.
Nurmagomedov cemented his legacy by submitting three of the biggest stars and top lightweights of his era in consecutive title fights. He finished Conor McGregor at UFC 229, Dustin Poirier at UFC 242, and Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 before walking away from the sport with a perfect 29-0 record.
Makhachev has continued that Dagestani dominance at 155 pounds. He broke the UFC record for the most lightweight title-fight wins with four and added a pair of historic defenses against featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski. Their first meeting ended with a stunning first-round head-kick knockout at UFC 294, while Makhachev also battled his way to a five-round submission win over Dustin Poirier at UFC 302.
However, Joe Rogan believes another lightweight legend could have been a nightmare matchup for both Dagestani stars: B.J. Penn. During a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, the longtime UFC commentator discussed Penn in his prime and explained why he would “put him at 155 pounds against anybody ever.”
Rogan even brought up Nurmagomedov and Makhachev, suggesting Penn would have been a “nightmare” matchup for both former UFC lightweight champions. He said, “I always point to BJ Penn because BJ Penn in his prime was insane. I would put prime BJ Penn at 155 pounds against anybody ever. Anybody at 155 ever.”
😯🥋 Joe Rogan believes BJ Penn would’ve been a ‘nightmare’ matchup for Khabib and Islam Makhachev if they were in the same lightweight era:
“I would put prime BJ Penn at 155lbs against anybody, ever.
I don’t know if he’d have beaten Khabib, I don’t know if he have beaten… pic.twitter.com/m3OCDQB2Lz
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) August 21, 2026
The UFC commentator added, “I don’t know if he would have beaten Khabib. Khabib is the all-time great. I don’t know if he would have beaten Islam, but I know it would have been a nightmare. He was a fucking phenom.”
There’s a good reason Penn earned that kind of respect. He was arguably the original boogeyman at 155 pounds and helped restore legitimacy to the division after it returned from a four-year hiatus in the late 2000s.
Penn captured the lightweight championship at UFC 80 with a blood-soaked submission win over Joe Stevenson. From 2008 to 2010, he looked almost unbeatable at 155 pounds, cementing the then-record for consecutive lightweight title defenses with wins over Sean Sherk, Kenny Florian, and Diego Sanchez.
With razor-sharp boxing, incredible flexibility, and elite Brazilian jiu-jitsu credentials, Penn became the first American to win a World Jiu-Jitsu Championship. He helped set the blueprint for future lightweight champions and eventually earned his place in the 2015 UFC Hall of Fame.
Comparing fighters across different eras will always be tricky, but imagining prime Penn sharing the Octagon with Nurmagomedov or Makhachev is one fantasy matchup that would have been fascinating to see play out.
Kshitiz Kumar Singh is a UFC Writer at NY Fights with over three years of experience in sports journalism and content creation. Known for his sharp storytelling and passion for combat sports, he has written in-depth features on stars like Brock Lesnar, Randy Couture, and Ilia Topuria. Before joining NY Fights, Kshitiz worked as a UFC Editor at EssentiallySports while currently serving as a WWE Editor at FirstSportz. His admiration for legends like Georges St-Pierre continues to inspire his detailed and engaging MMA coverage. Whether he’s covering the Octagon or the squared circle, Kshitiz is committed to delivering accurate, high-quality content. Outside the world of sports, he’s a dedicated cinephile, often found practicing monologues from his favorite Al Pacino films, combining his love for cinema with storytelling.
