Joe Rogan was shocked not to see Alexander Volkanovski exit the Octagon with a second UFC title three years ago.

Alex Volkanovski, the Aussie champion to know before UFC 284

The featherweight champion is set to return in the UFC 325 main event this Saturday, as the home favorite makes the walk in Sydney for the first defense of his second reign at 145 pounds.

Volkanovski will fight Diego Lopes again, having defeated the Brazilian just 10 months ago in a Miami clash that temporarily paused talk of the 37-year-old legend hanging up his gloves.

The Australian is widely regarded as the greatest featherweight of all time and boasts an illustrious MMA résumé. But despite all he has achieved, Volkanovski is missing one accolade often associated with the top legends of the sport: a second divisional title.

In the eyes of Rogan, however, the Australian unfairly had that taken from him…

Joe Rogan insisted that Alexander Volkanovski beat Islam Makhachev at UFC 284

Volkanovski earned his chance to join the club of two-division UFC champions after four successful featherweight title defenses.

His opportunity came on home soil, with the Aussie challenging then-newly crowned lightweight king Islam Makhachev at UFC 284 in Perth at the start of 2023.

The pair collided in one of the best fights of that year, with their enthralling contest going the full five rounds. Makhachev beat Volkanovski via unanimous decision, a verdict that split opinion in the MMA community.

Among those who strongly disagreed was Joe Rogan, who was shocked when the result was read out.

“He (Makhachev) lost that fight, I believe,” the UFC color commentator said during a Fight Companion episode of his podcast alongside Brendan Schaub, Eddie Bravo, and Bryan Callen.

“We were convinced, we might have to (re)watch it. I don’t think we were biased.

“In my eyes, I thought it was 3-2 (to Volkanovski),” he continued. “Oh my god, this sucks.

“Listen to the crowd. One of those scorecards was crazy. It’s hard — we’re watching it, we’re not scoring it legitimately. We’re talking s— and we’re drinking, but it seems to me he won three rounds.”

Rogan was not alone with his scoring of that fight. Nate Diaz also said Volkanovski beat Makhachev, joining some fans in sharing that assessment of the UFC 284 super-fight.

Islam Makhachev attempts to take Alexander Volkanovski down during their fight at UFC 284

Alexander Volkanovski’s path to a third lightweight title shot after UFC 325

After Volkanovski’s second loss to Makhachev at UFC 294, many wrote off the Aussie’s chances of achieving two-division glory in the promotion.

But ahead of his rematch with Lopes at UFC 325, Volkanovski outlined a path to another lightweight shot.

“Being a champion is a responsibility and I take that seriously,” Volkanovski stated during a December interview with 10 News.

“I know I’ve got guys in my division and I don’t want to hold up the division, so I’m gonna do what I need to do and then, you never know. Maybe after what I’ve said I plan on doing in Sydney, February 1, go do that and then maybe have the turnaround and then get another victory over an undefeated guy.

“I think that’s fair enough to be calling for maybe a champ-champ fight then,” he added.